Most people transferred under medevac law now living in hotels, apartments

None of the 180 asylum seekers transferred under the contentious medevac legislation are currently being treated in a hospital, with the majority now living in taxpayer-funded rented accommodation such as hotel rooms and apartments.

As the Morrison government steps up its attempts to scrap the laws, which give doctors more say in emergency medical transfers of offshore asylum seekers to Australia, new figures released by the Home Affairs Department show 418 valid applications for treatment have been lodged by asylum seekers held offshore.

Scott Morrison is prepared 'to play hardball' attempting to repeal the medevac legislation.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

As of Tuesday about 466 asylum-seekers and refugees remain offshore – 208 on Papua New Guinea and 258 on Nauru – with two-thirds having now applied to be brought to Australia under the laws.

The federal government has argued the laws weaken border security and criticised the lack of mechanism for immigration officials to return those brought to Australia for treatment back to a regional processing country or third country once they are healthy.

It can be revealed most of the 184 asylum seekers or refugees are now living in Alternative Places of Detention which include specifically authorised government and commercial accommodation in the community, such as defence housing, without being granted visas.

Only a minority of high-risk people are being held in on-shore detention centres, the department says.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton continue to court the vote of independent Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, who has made her support for repealing the laws conditional on a secret ultimatum.

Senator Lambie will not reveal her request on the grounds of national security, but several sources close to the discussions say she wants a third country resettlement agreement with New Zealand.

A vote on the repeal of the laws is expected on Thursday afternoon, but senators from all parties on Tuesday were expecting the debate to potentially stretch long into the night.

Illustration: Matt GoldingCredit:

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday the opposition would continue to lobby the senate crossbench to oppose the repeal.

He said Senator Lambie should look at the gap between the rhetoric of the government before this legislation was introduced and now.

"The bigger issue than medevac is why are people still in offshore detention who've been there now for seven years?," Mr Albanese said.

"Why is it that the government hasn't both looked after the interests of those people by settling them in third countries, and looking after the interests of Australian taxpayers by doing that as well?"

Several government MPs have told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald  that Mr Morrison had made it clear internally he was prepared to play "hardball" and not willing to accept the New Zealand deal unless Parliament passes mothballed legislation which would impose a ban on any boat arrival ever entering Australia.

This story has been updated to clarify the types of facilities used to accommodate asylum seekers not placed in on-shore detention.