Bali Nine pair situation 'dire': Shorten

The federal opposition has cautioned against reading too much into the delay in transporting Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran to the Indonesian island where executions are carried out.

The Bali Nine ringleaders were expected to be transported within days, though it now appears it will not occur this month.

Labor leader Bill Shorten spoke with lawyers acting for the men's families on Wednesday morning, and cautioned against reading too much into the delay.

"I don't think it necessarily means that these two men are out of the dire threat they face," Mr Shorten told reporters in Melbourne.

"We can't get ahead of ourselves but this is, in the most precious of issues, more time.

"We have an opportunity again to delay, to look more deeply, to understand the long-term friendship and partnership which exists between Australia and Indonesia," he said.

It had appeared preparations were underway to move the pair from Kerobokan Prison in Bali to a prison on Nusakambangan island, where executions are done.

Chan and Sukumaran appear to have exhausted legal means to escape the death penalty, though entreaties to Indonesian authorities are continuing.