Employment Minister Eric Abetz has likened Bill Shorten to disgraced Labor politician Craig Thomson.
Senator Abetz was addressing revelations of Mr Shorten's failure to declare a donation from a labour hire company that funded his campaign director for the 2007 federal election.
"This is the sort of behaviour that ... Craig Thomson had also engaged in, in using union money to fund political activities personally beneficial to get a certain person into parliament - that is what is being explored today," the minister told ABC radio on Wednesday.
Labor MP Gary Gray said Mr Shorten's mistake - in taking eight years to declare the donation - was not unusual, but nevertheless was unhelpful.
"A mistake of this sort is never a good thing and it never looks good," he told ABC TV.
"It shouldn't have been made and it's been corrected."
Mr Gray called for tighter disclosure laws for political donations.
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese also dismissed criticism of the donation.
"From time to time there are late declarations," Mr Albanese told 2GB radio, adding that the prime minister had made similar errors in the past.
Former Labor minister Greg Combet said the unions royal commission has been proved to be a political exercise.
Mr Combet attended the commission hearing in Sydney on Wednesday, where Mr Shorten gave evidence about deals struck when he was national secretary of the Australian Workers Union.
"This is the third Labor leader within a year to be dragged before a royal commission - this is a political exercise," Mr Combet said.
Former prime minister Julia Gillard has previously appeared at the unions royal commission while Kevin Rudd faced the home insulation inquiry - both instigated by the Abbott government.
Mr Combet said Mr Shorten's failure to declare the donation until two days ago was not an issue.
"I received donations from business and from unions, from members of the community, when I stood for parliament in 2007," he said.
"That contributed to the payment of wages of the people that worked on my campaign."
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