The federal opposition says Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is copying its own long-held concerns about the United Nations Refugee Convention.
While there's no suggestion Australia will withdraw from the convention, Mr Rudd has implied the government might push for the 60-year-old agreement to be changed to reflect current movements of displaced people.
The Rudd government is expected to announce a new asylum seeker policy in coming days.
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says the coalition has repeatedly raised concerns about how interpretations of the convention affect domestic policy.
The prime minister was only now repeating those concerns "on the eve of an election", he said on Thursday.
But Mr Morrison avoided answering questions about whether the coalition would remain a signatory.
"I think there are a range of options here for an incoming government and when we are in a position to make those announcements, I'm sure we will," he told reporters in Brisbane.
"At the moment it's Kevin Rudd talking about this issue and Kevin Rudd needs to answer the question you've just put to me."
Mr Morrison accused Mr Rudd of flying to neighbouring Indonesia and Papua New Guinea "in search of a policy, because he doesn't have one".
"You have to ask serious questions about something made up on the run in the past couple of weeks," he said.
Mr Morrison was in Brisbane on Thursday to draw attention to a government decision to temporarily house asylum seekers in a north Brisbane nursing home.
He said the community wasn't consulted on the issue and a coalition government would not adopt the move unless residents agreed to it.
Local Ann Ingamells said while she supported consultation, she was more concerned about the issue becoming politicised.
"I think it's a heated enough issue and it actually instils fear in local residents," she told AAP.
"We need to be welcoming of people who flee their homes because of persecution."
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