Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says the federal government should effectively move into caretaker mode, given the leadership uncertainty in the Liberal Party.
Mr Shorten has written to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asking that the coalition "cease taking any actions that may bind the decisions of an incoming government, in line with caretaker conventions".
"Out of respect for the Australian people, such a pause should continue until the leadership of the coalition government is satisfactorily resolved or a general election is called, at which point normal caretaker conventions would commence," Mr Shorten wrote on Wednesday.
He said the decisions to be paused should include any major policies, significant appointments, entering into major contracts or undertakings, and international negotiations.
If there was a clear case a major decision needed to be made in the national interest, the opposition should be consulted, Mr Shorten said.
"A pause on such actions should not in any way prevent the ordinary functioning of government from continuing," he wrote.
Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen clarified that opposition wasn't calling for the government to go into caretaker mode per se.
Rather, Labor was chiefly concerned about government appointment of senior officials, particularly in Mr Bowen's own portfolio.
"We have grave concern with the politicisation the government has embarked upon in senior appointments," he told reporters.
