Indon sympathy 'cold comfort': Shorten

An Indonesian olive branch over the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran is "cold comfort", Bill Shorten says.

The federal opposition leader says an expression of sympathy by Indonesian Ambassador Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, which also stressed the importance of the relationship with Australia, was well intentioned but "too little, too late".

"The words are cold comfort, actually, to the families," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne.