Regular business was suspended at Parliament House on Wednesday as politicians from across the political divide paid tribute to the former Australian prime minister through a condolence motion.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was the first to honour Mr Hawke, saying "we saw the totality of the man".

However he also said certain members of the Australian Federal Police may have seen a whole lot more.

"I'm told of a story, I'm pretty convinced it's true, that on one occasion, at Kirribilli House, the AFP officer on duty on the day, who was there tasked to bring forward the papers and put them in the vestibule on the entry to Kirribilli House, one morning got to see all of Bob Hawke as he opened the door, in all his glory!" Mr Morrison said.

"The AFP adopted a different protocol for the launching of the submission of those documents each morning with greater care, so as not to be exposed to the full glory of the great Robert James Lee Hawke! So he did never hide himself, physically or otherwise."

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said as a student at Mr Hawke's alma mater Oxford, Mr Hawke's portrait did not hang in University College unlike other alumni who went on to be world leaders.

Once he returned to Australia, he managed to get onto Mr Hawke through a former member of his government.

"I said Mr Hawke I would like to see your portrait hang at University College in Oxford because as an Australian, you as a former prime minister should hang there," Mr Frydenberg said.

"Well, quick as a flash he said that's great. I asked who his favourite portrait artist was, he said Robert Hannaford and he sat for a number of sessions, the portrait was done and the bill came.

"It was quite a significant amount of money and I was thinking how do we put this together. Then Bob Hawke who was famous for his love of horse races was in partnership with John Singleton and their horse won a major race so the next morning I rang Bob Hawke and said is there any chance that your friends may want to tip in for this portrait and he said 'Leave it to me', he rang back not long after that and said it was done.

"The portrait was flown over to the United Kingdom. Bob Hawke himself flew over, the high commissioner went to London, to Oxford and now the portrait hangs in University College in Oxford for all Australians to see their great prime minister."

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Labor's Tony Burke, who has Coeliac disease, said Mr Hawke gave him the "sharp" eyebrows normally reserved for Andrew Peacock or John Howard when he refused a beer from him.

From that moment on, Mr Burke always made sure he brought gluten-free beer when hanging with Mr Hawke.

Mr Burke also said while Mr Hawke loved singing Waltzing Matilda, those joining in were only allowed to sing the chorus - the verses were reserved for him alone.

"If anyone else tried to join in, they'd get a sharp look and he would seize microphone," Mr Burke said.

Former Labor deputy leader Tania Plibersek remembered Mr Hawke singing happy birthday to a staff member of the staff of the National Press Club when he came to Canberra for a caucus dinner in 2014.

"I had very, very strict instructions from his wonderful, loyal, long-serving, beautiful and dedicated PA, Jill Saunders, that I was not allowed to let a million people get their photos with Bob, because he was getting older and he was getting tired and everybody would want a photo with him, and it was after dinner and it was going to be too exhausting," Ms Plibersek said.

"So there I was on duty, trying to stop people mobbing our great hero, while Bob was behind me calling them in: 'Come on! No worries, let's get a photo together!' Jill had given me instructions that I was to have him home early and it was my job to make sure he got out of there in good time. I was exhausted, leaning on the table and thinking, 'When is this going to finish?' and he was singing happy birthday to one of the people working at the Press Club."

Meanwhile Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said Mr Hawke's love of cigars saved him from an awkward situation.

"At the Boao Forum in 2015, through some sort of coincidence, then Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, Bob Hawke and I ended up sitting around the table having a cup of tea.

"There were lots of people behind the windows looking at us on the balcony, and the Governor-General took out three cigars.

"This was in March 2015, and I was carefully thinking about whether I should accept one of those three cigars. Bob didn't hesitate.

"As I was thinking about the mobile phones with cameras on the other side of the window and what I should be doing, the other two cigars disappeared in Bob's pocket, so the political dilemma was averted, for which I am eternally grateful!"

The government will provide $5 million to the existing endowment fund of the General Sir John Monash Foundation to create an annual scholarship known as the Bob Hawke John Monash Scholar in the former prime minister's honour.