Onshore, offshore: both sides stick to their guns

THE Greens and Labor's Left have mounted a spirited defence for maintaining onshore-only processing of asylum-seekers.

THE Greens and Labor's Left have mounted a spirited defence for maintaining onshore-only processing of asylum-seekers.

This is amid criticism from the Coalition and Labor's Right that the policy is risking lives.

Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young has dug in and rejected calls to revive offshore processing, instead calling on the Gillard government to increase Australia's humanitarian refugee intake.

In a statement released yesterday, Senator Hanson-Young said: "We need a humanitarian response that deals with the realities of why people flee on leaky vessels and not get sidetracked by discussions of border protection or national security."

She said offshore processing did not work as a deterrent and that the humanitarian refugee intake should be increased to 25,000.

Her comments came after former Labor leader Mark Latham on Sunday blamed "so-called compassionate" politicians in support of onshore processing for the deaths of asylum-seekers at sea .

Labor's Left faction convenor Doug Cameron said the loss of asylum-seekers off the Javanese coast on Saturday would not force him to rethink his position on onshore processing.

Senator Cameron said better policing, not offshore processing, would stop the surge in boats. "There should be more resources and more funding going into policing efforts regionally. I've always said this is a regional problem and must have a regional solution."

Liberal senator Mitch Fifield told Sky News "this sort of tragedy is much more likely" under a Labor government.

"The current government said when they were in opposition that offshore processing was 'immoral'. They dismantled offshore processing," he said.

"The reason that there isn't offshore processing today is because this government dismantled it, and they've only had half-baked proposals to bring it back."