Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he will not apologise to France for his decision to scrap a $90 billion contract for France to supply 12 conventionally powered submarines for Australia.

Mr Morrison was called a liar by French President Emmanuel Macron for allegedly hiding Australia's intention to terminate the French contract in favour of a nuclear submarine deal with its AUKUS partners, the US and UK.

Following Mr Macron's accusation, the Australian government leaked text messages of Mr Morrison's exchange with the French President the evening before the AUKUS deal was announced.

Earlier on Wednesday, France's ambassador to Australia called the leak an "unprecedented new low" in trust between the nations.

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said Mr Morrison's conduct had been "shameful and duplicitous", and it was time for him to apologise.

Returning from an international trip which saw the pair endure an awkward exchange during a meeting of world leaders, Mr Morrison said there was "no need" for him to apologise to Mr Macron.

"Claims were made and claims were refuted," Mr Morrison said from Dubai, after leaving the COP26 climate summit in Scotland.

"It's important now we just move on, frankly.

"What's needed now is for us to just get on with it."

In September, Mr Morrison stood beside television screens carrying the faces of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden as the trio announced the new trilateral AUKUS defence partnership.

The first initiative of the new alliance was for Australia to acquire nuclear submarines from either the US or UK, with the countries to share secret technology with Australia.

But it meant the existing arrangement with France was scrapped.

Mr Morrison said Australia's deal with the French no longer suited the country's defence needs, and so the government had exercised an option to terminate the deal.

For months, ministers and defence officials had been expressing deep frustration over the deal's progress and a reported $40 billion blowout in the price of the submarines.

However, the French government said it had received assurance just days before the deal was scrapped that the contract was to continue.

Government defends decision to leak Macron conversation

Mr Morrison maintained it was in Australia's interest to scrap the deal.

"Those who have objected to that decision for very obvious reasons have very obvious motives, but I know whose side I’m on," Mr Morrison said.

Back home, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said Australia was within its rights to cancel the submarine contract, but Mr Morrison had handled it terribly.

"I find it absolutely extraordinary that you have such clear and unequivocal comments from the President of the United States and the President of France, and then Scott Morrison thinks it's appropriate to respond to that by releasing a private text message," Mr Albanese said.

"It's quite extraordinary behaviour."

Asked whether the decision to leak private text messages was appropriate, acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said it was worse that Mr Morrison had been called a liar.

"What else do you do?" Mr Joyce told the ABC.

"It's not as extraordinary as calling another leader of a country a liar when you're not.

"If you're the president of 'Yoni-blop-blop', who cares? If you're the President of France, you can't walk around calling people liars."