Turnbull not helping in Indonesia: Joyce

Barnaby Joyce has accused Malcolm Turnbull of throwing petrol on a fire by criticising a government proposal to move Australia's embassy in Israel.

Mr Turnbull warned shifting the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem would cause a negative reaction from Indonesia after meeting with its president Joko Widodo in Bali on Monday.

"Apparently we sent him over there because he's mates with Joko Widodo but my gosh if there was a small problem, he threw petrol on it," Mr Joyce told 2GB on Wednesday.

The former deputy prime minister said the decision to send Mr Turnbull as Australia's representative hadn't worked.

Labor leader Bill Shorten said Prime Minister Scott Morrison asking the former prime minister to go to Indonesia on the government's behalf was farcical.

"They got the guy they said wasn't good enough to run Australian policy to help run foreign policy and placate the Indonesians," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne.

He said Mr Morrison should have consulted foreign affairs and defence experts, as well as the cabinet before abandoning 70 years of bipartisanship on foreign policy.

"Smart governments understand the neighbourhood in which they live," the opposition leader said.

"You don't send a text message or let them read it on the front page of a newspaper, you treat relationships with respect."

The government is still going through the process of looking at moving the embassy after floating the idea during the final week of the Wentworth by-election.

Liberal MP Craig Kelly, who backed dumping the former prime minister, said Mr Turnbull had to decide whether his actions were helping or hindering the government.

"He doesn't speak for the government, he speaks for himself," Mr Kelly told Sky News.

"I think it's a very fine line that he's treading."