Former prime minister Scott Morrison is demanding Australia step up its pressure on China's human rights abuses while praising his own efforts to call out "bullying" by Beijing.
Mr Morrison is due to give a speech on Friday to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international group of lawmakers working to reform how democratic countries approach the country.
The former prime minister is expected to urge the Albanese government to consider using Magnitsky-style targeted human rights sanctions laws to hold Chinese government officials accountable, according to multiple reports.
He will also accuse western nations of "appeasing" China's ambitions in the South China Sea and not advancing global concerns about the nation's human rights record.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said while Australia had a good relationship with China, there would always be tensions.
He said the government was standing up for Australian sovereignty in a respectful way.
"Equally, there are human rights abuses ... and the Australian government would be making representations to Beijing on a constant basis and we have done that as a country for years," he told Nine's Today program.
"The human rights abusers are there and it is right that they are called out."
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles agreed with Mr Dutton and said the government was pressing concerns on human rights abuses in China.
"We need to stabilise the relationship with China, which is what we are seeking to do," he said.
"But it is really important that we advocate on behalf of human rights around the world and we call it as we see it."
Mr Morrison is also expected to talk about how he "rallied like-minded countries" in Quad and AUKUS meetings to "call out the bullying of the Chinese government".
