Senator Dastyari was sacked from his job as deputy Labor whip and chairman of a committee as a consequence but Malcolm Turnbull has called for him to be ousted from the Senate, suggesting he has betrayed his country.

Senior Labor frontbencher Tony Burke defended Mr Shorten's decision to visit Mr Huang's house, saying he understood the advice from security agencies in 2015 did not canvass knocking back donations.

"The security briefings have strengthened over time and the critical issue out of those briefings was to stop taking donations from particular individuals," he told the ABC.

"As the security advice strengthened Labor took a decision that the Government still hasn't taken that for the people who had concerns raised about them we would stop taking donations from them, even if that put us at a disadvantage."

Mr Burke said Mr Huang was a significant donor to both sides of politics and would appear at community functions.

"You know, for every photo of Bill Shorten there's a photo of Julie Bishop or some senior member of the Government with the people concerned," he said.

Mr Shorten's office did not dispute he had visited Mr Huang and sought to deflect the spotlight back onto the government, seizing on separate reports a former top aide to Mr Huang was a campaign worker for Liberal MP John Alexander's Bennelong byelection campaign.

"Along with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Foreign Minister Bishop and other senior Ministers of the Liberal Party, Mr Shorten has attended functions with Mr Huang in the past," a Labor spokesman said.

"Both sides of politics have met with Mr Huang in the past and received donations from him. The difference is Labor no longer does – but Turnbull has refused to make the same guarantee.

"Last week, Turnbull was suggesting Mr Huang has very, very close links to the Chinese government – and now we learn Mr Huang's right-hand man is now John Alexander's right-hand man in Bennelong. Mr Turnbull must explain how this is appropriate – and why he refuses to rule out taking more money from Mr Huang."