Bill Shorten has distanced himself from Paul Keating's attack on Australia's security agencies, with Labor ruling out a shake up if it wins the election.
Mr Keating, who was Labor prime minister between 1991 and 1996, has called for spy chiefs to be sacked in a bid to improve relations with China, saying he would "clean them out".
"When the security agencies are running foreign policy, the nutters are in charge," he told the ABC.
Mr Shorten said he didn't share Mr Keating's concerns about security agencies.
"For myself and my opposition team, we've worked very well with the national security agencies. They know that and we know that," Mr Shorten told reporters in western Sydney on Monday.
"We, of course, will continue to take the professional advice of people who keep Australians safe."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for Mr Shorten to denounce Mr Keating's comments, saying the agencies had prevented 15 terrorist attacks in Australia.
"For what the Labor Party calls a Labor legend to go out there and attack the credibility of our security agencies that have been saving lives in this country, I think is very disappointing," he told reporters in Nowra on the NSW south coast on Monday.
"I think that should be disowned and I think the leader of the Labor Party, Bill Shorten, should be having something to say about that in denouncing what Paul Keating had to say."
Labor's deputy leader Tanya Plibersek said there would "absolutely not" be a full-scale clean-out under a Shorten government.
She said Mr Keating did not run Labor policy, noting the opposition valued regular briefings it receives from agencies.
Mr Morrison demanded Mr Shorten come clean about who would be home affairs minister in his government.
"He should tell us who is going to be the home affairs minister if he is elected that will actually have responsibility for the security agencies."
The Labor leader confirmed a government he leads would keep the home affairs department in tact but didn't say who the minister would be.
"We've announced some of our positions, but we'll finalise them when we see who gets elected and who doesn't," Mr Shorten said.
He joked that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton had briefly emerged from "witness protection" to pounce on Mr Keating's comments.
The coalition is yet to announce who would take over the indigenous affairs, industrial relations and human services portfolios if the government is returned, with retirements creating a raft of vacancies.
