Aust link to US-Russia saga deepens

Labor will seek an explanation from the federal government over claims Australian diplomats may have helped spark an FBI investigation into Russia's role in the US election.

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Australian High Commissioner to the UK Alexander Downer and Australia's ambassador to the US Joe Hockey are named in media reports.

Acting opposition leader Tanya Plibersek flagged Labor will ask the government for a briefing in the future.

But she was reluctant to comment on specific claims because of the ongoing police investigation.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he's not worried about the saga damaging his relationship with US President Donald Trump.

But Ms Plibersek isn't as confident.

"We've got a government that hasn't handled the relationship with the US particularly well," Ms Plibersek told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday.

The New York Times has reported Mr Downer, could have helped spark the FBI investigation into Russia's role in the US election.

Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos told the Australian diplomat during a meeting in London in May 2016 that Russia had thousands of emails that would embarrass Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Australia passed the information on to the Federal Bureau of Investigation after the Democratic party emails were leaked, according to the Times, which cited four current and former US and foreign officials with direct knowledge of the Australians' role.

Mr Hockey headed up Australia's dealings with the FBI, Fairfax reports.

Mr Turnbull is expected to make an official visit to the US in 2018, but specific dates are yet to be locked down.

The prime minister's personal relationship with Mr Trump got off to a rocky start with a heated phone call over the US refugee resettlement deal a year ago.

In May, they patched things up at a gala dinner in New York and by year's end Mr Turnbull scored some one-on-one face time in the presidential suite during a leaders' summit in Manila.