Coalition defends spike in appointments

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has defended a flurry of government appointments made ahead of the May federal election.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has defended the government's recent flurry of appointments. (AAP)

The Morrison government made up to 150 appointments in a 22-day period that finished just weeks before the federal election is due.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann told a Senate estimates hearing in Canberra on Monday that between 120 and 150 positions were filled between March 14 and April 5, but noted about 3500 roles were vacant.

But Labor's Senate leader Penny Wong criticised the government for making an average of almost seven appointments a day during the past few weeks.

"As many mates appointed as possible?" she asked Senator Cormann, who emphatically rejected the claim.

With the election looming before the end of May and a caretaker period coming up, Senator Cormann said the government was getting its house in order.

"We can't win," he said.

"When we do it early, we get criticised. When we do it at the time they are due when the vacancies are there, we get criticised."