Politicians given plum overseas postings or lucrative positions on tribunals under the Coalition could have their jobs terminated by Bill Shorten should he become prime minister.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age have been told Labor has drawn up a hit list of six former Liberal Party MPs currently serving as ambassadors or consuls-general, as speculation swirls that Steve Ciobo – who stood down from cabinet on the weekend after announcing he will not recontest the May election – could be in line for a government job.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong would review a number of postings should Labor win the election. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The Coalition is facing claims of political cronyism following a flurry of recent appointments to overseas positions and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, where some former Liberal MPs are now commanding salaries of more than $360,000 a year.

A Labor government would order a review into the futures of former attorney-general George Brandis in London, former treasurer Joe Hockey in Washington, former Western Australia premier Richard Court in Tokyo, former Howard government minister Peter McGauran as consul-general in Houston, and former senator David Bushby, who was appointed consul-general to Chicago just one hour after his resignation from Parliament in January.