A growing number of Labor figures are calling for the former prime minister Kevin Rudd to quit Parliament.

Former minister Brendan O'Connor today called on Mr Rudd to go and other Labor party figures are following suit.

It follows similar comments yesterday from former Labor minister Craig Emerson.

Mr Rudd won his Queensland seat of Griffith on the weekend, but his future remains unclear.

Retired federal Labor MP Steve Gibbons says Mr Rudd was treacherous and destabilised Julia Gillard when she was leader.

"He will sit in that Parliament and sit in that caucus and be a decaying force, if you like - he will attract enormous media attention like he's been doing for all of his career," Mr Gibbons said.

"That's what the focus will be on when it needs to be on the new leader and the new kit of policies and the new direction Labor needs to go in."

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Mr Gibbons says he is not convinced Mr Rudd helped deliver a better result for Labor than previously expected.

"What annoys me most is that we've just seen probably six or seven of my friends lose their livelihoods, and (have) their political careers ended, because of the way he operated," he said.

"For example the electorates of Deakin, La Trobe other electorates around Victoria ... he visited them three or four times during the election and they were all lost."

Mr Gibbons has also called for Mr Rudd's allies Kim Carr, Doug Cameron and Alan Griffin to quit.

More destabilising leaks 'can't be tolerated'

Meanwhile, NSW federal MP Laurie Ferguson says Mr Rudd should find something else to do outside of politics.

"I think he should find a pressing need to do some research on Nauruan politics since the 1990s or Qing dynasty porcelain or something like that, quite frankly," he said.

"We've had (Kim) Beazley, (Mark) Latham, (Simon) Crean, Gillard all undermined by him over a significant period of time.

"He might lay off for a year or two but if we get back to the same pattern (with) whoever becomes leader it just can't be tolerated."

As for the leadership, Mr Ferguson says he would support Bill Shorten, despite Mr Shorten's apparent involvement in back-room deals that felled two Labor leaders.

"I've seen a lot of people involved in this fracas, with the exception of (Tanya) Plibersek," he said.

"Amongst all the people mentioned I don't think there's anyone who hasn't been involved."