Two Australian drug traffickers in Indonesia have made a last-ditch attempt to avoid execution by filing a petition to the state administrative court, challenging President Joko Widodo's refusal of clemency without giving a reason.

Mr Todung Mulya Lubis, a lawyer for Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan, told The Straits Times on Saturday that the state administrative court had confirmed a panel of judges will hear the case next Thursday (March 12).

The state administrative court rules on petition or complaint filed by anyone against the government or any state apparatus.

"Although clemency is the President's prerogative, the President has an obligation to explain why he rejected giving the clemency. It is not fair to reject clemency request without giving a reason," Mr Todung said.

He added that before the court ruling is out, the execution should not proceed as there is still an ongoing legal process.

Chan and Sukumaran, ringleaders of the "Bali Nine" drug trafficking gang, were arrested in 2005 after being caught using seven couriers to try to smuggle more than 8kg of heroin from Bali to Australia.

Australia on Thursday proposed a prisoner swop in an 11th-hour bid to save them, but it was rejected by Jakarta which said the men had "poisoned our nation"

The last-ditch attempt by the lawyers of the two Australians came a day after Indonesia's Attorney-General Muhammad Prasetyo said the executions of Chan and Sukumaran, as well as eight other drug criminals, would be postponed until all current legal appeals were dealt with.

At least four other foreigners in the group reportedly have appeals afoot or pending to the Administrative Court or the Supreme Court.