He may have only been in the top job for eight months, but Christopher Pyne reckons Malcolm Turnbull is the greatest prime minister ever.

The cabinet minister was asked for his thoughts on Adelaide radio, after Jamie Briggs labelled John Howard the country's greatest PM during a campaign visit to his South Australian seat of Mayo.

When asked whether he agreed, Mr Pyne told FIVEaa on Wednesday: "The greatest ever prime minister is the one we have right now, of course, and that's Malcolm Turnbull."

"He's only been there eight months so we have to give him a few more years, I think, to see what he can do," he added.

Was he seriously saying that in eight short months Mr Turnbull is doing a better job than Mr Howard, the host asked.

Mr Pyne said there is "an embarrassment of riches in terms of great prime ministers".

There's Menzies, Fraser, Gorton, McMahon, Abbott, Howard, Turnbull.

Labor frontbencher and former leadership hopeful Anthony Albanese couldn't believe his ears.

"I was sitting here thinking `Should I spear John Howard, or should I be nice?', but Christopher Pyne just speared John Howard," he said.

"He just speared him by saying that Malcolm Turnbull was more effective than a bloke that was there for 12 years."

And for what it's worth, Mr Albanese thinks Bill Shorten will be a good prime minister.

"But you can't judge in advance," he said.

"Ouch," quipped Mr Pyne.

"Christopher's answer was absurd - Bob Hawke is Australia's greatest prime minister in my view," Mr Albanese replied.

"He won four elections, he transformed the economy, he protected the environment, he opened us up to what has been decades of economic growth."