The prime minister faced a community backlash for heading overseas on a family holiday during the Black Summer bushfires, which forced him to cut the US trip short.

At the time, Mr Albanese told reporters it was a matter for the prime minister's own judgment when he went on holiday, but that he was concerned about the "transparency" around the trip.

When Labor raised the issue in parliament on Monday, the prime minister said: "I texted him (Mr Albanese) from the plane when I was going on that leave and told him where I was going."

Mr Albanese told parliament Mr Morrison's answer was not true.

"On the 15th of December, 2019, at 9:44pm, the prime minister did text me saying he was going on leave," he said.

"He did not tell me where he was going. He said he was going with his family. I kept that text message confidential, as you do with private text messages between private phones."

Mr Morrison later clarified in parliament that when he said "where" he meant "on leave", rather than a geographic destination.

"I did not tell him the destination of where I was going on leave with my family," Mr Morrison said.

"I simply communicated to him that I was taking leave."

He said it was always a private matter where members of parliament take leave.

Mr Albanese went on to accuse the prime minister of saying "whatever is convenient at the time regardless of what the facts are".

"It is just extraordinary that he has been prepared to do that," the opposition leader told Sky News.

Australian Associated Press