Foreign Minister Penny Wong has defended a decision to send the NDIS minister to a Ukrainian peace summit despite a push from Kyiv to have the prime minister or deputy attend.
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Senator Wong confirmed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has asked Bill Shorten to attend the summit in Switzerland.
Opposition foreign affairs Simon Birmingham questioned whether Mr Shorten, who wasn't a part of the national security committee, was the most appropriate person to send to peace negotiations.
"As a senior minister and former leader we obviously think that level of representation is appropriate," Senator Wong replied during a parliamentary hearing on Monday.
"He also has been a very strong voice in support of the people of Ukraine since Russia's invasion".
In a phone call on May 29, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed to Mr Albanese for a high-level delegation to attend the peace summit.
The European Union ambassador in Australia and envoys from member states had also appealed to the government to send a delegation, on the previous day.
A decision was only made to send the minister in the last few days after the initial invitation was received on May 3.
Senator Birmingham said the appeal from the ambassadors conveyed a "frustration" at a lack of reply from Australia at the time.
A leaders level request was responded to within weeks, Senator Wong said.
The diplomatic call was conducted globally by the European Union, foreign affairs department deputy secretary Rod Brazier said when questioned on whether a demarche to Australia was unusual.
Department secretary Jan Adams doubled down on her deputy's answer.
"I think it's quite normal for countries hosting or with an interest in international events to make representations globally to encourage participation, I don't think it's unusual at all," she said.
"It's part and parcel of normal diplomatic exchanges on international events."
Australia's ambassador to Ukraine Paul Lehmann will attend the summit in mid-June with Mr Shorten, as will the nation's representative in Switzerland.
Australian Associated Press
