While there was no repeat of the "Manchurian candidate" jeer in Parliament on Thursday, Mr Morrison was quite happy to state that "the Labor Party is the Chinese government's pick at this election".

And the election hasn't even been called yet.

This wedge is getting bigger by the day. This is despite the universal truth of Australian foreign policy that the major parties are generally in lockstep on China.

Usually as calm and apolitical as possible, an unprecedented front of the current and former ASIO bosses tried this week to cool things down.

Current ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess told the ABC's 7.30 that any politicisation of foreign interference was "not helpful", while former director-general Dennis Richardson was freer to go a bit further.

"The government is seeking to create the perception of a difference between it and the opposition on [the] critical national security issue that is China, seeking to create the perception of a difference where none in practice exists," he said.

"That is not in the national interest. That only serves the interest of one country, and that is China."

But the appearance of strength, despite dealing with cabinet leaks and other party disunity, is what Mr Morrison is going for.

Despite not being pushed by Labor on national security in question time, the Prime Minister went there when asked the ALP's current favourite question, "Why won't the Prime Minister just do his job?"

"It is my job to keep Australians safe," Mr Morrison responded, before getting to the point.

"If there's any country out there, including [in] our region, who thinks they can bully and coerce Australia, Mr Speaker, they won't find a preferred candidate in this Prime Minister, Mr Speaker," he said.

"They might find one on the other side, and they certainly seem to have picked one, Mr Speaker."

He concluded with his voice breaking, "You cannot be a weak leader, Mr Speaker, if you want to do that sort of a job. Mr Speaker, strength in this job is what this job is all about."

"The leader of the Labor Party likes to think he is a small target. That is his plan. All he is is small, Mr Speaker, and he is diminishing by the day. He is diminishing by the day."

The Prime Minister's voice survived. Just.

What has not survived is the election promise for a federal anti-corruption body. Time has run out.

In the latest act of rebellion, Liberal MPs Bridget Archer and John Alexander stood up on Thursday and banded with the crossbench to make a party of eight demanding a federal ICAC.

Eight is not enough, but the issue of integrity is not going away. If anything, it has been the defining issue of the 46^th Parliament. And it is about to end.

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