Labor has taken aim at "half-baked" foreign relations laws on the verge of passing federal parliament.
Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles said the party agreed with giving the Commonwealth veto powers on deals struck between states or universities and foreign powers.
"But this specific piece of legislation is half-baked," Mr Marles told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
"It was rushed out the door in order to try and change the conversation on a day the government was under scrutiny in respect of aged care.
"It's simply not ready, the consultation hasn't been done with a whole lot of entities concerned, particularly the university sector."
Mr Marles said Labor wanted to sit down with the government to discuss the legislation, which is destined to become law within days.
"We would really like for Marise Payne and the government to actually come out of the bunker and have a conversation with us about how we can do this in a better way," he said.
Once the powers are passed, the states and territories will be given three months to provide details of existing agreements with foreign governments.
The federal government is then expected to tear up a deal the Victorian government has done with China.
Trade and Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the Commonwealth would go through a careful and considered process in assessing more than 130 agreements.
"It wouldn't exactly be methodically going through things in good faith if I was to say that there was an automatic predisposition to tear it up," he told the ABC when asked about the Belt and Road deal.
"We will go through the proper processes, not just for this agreement, but the majority of agreements that exist between the states and territories and foreign governments."
