Strong border policies to stay: Dutton
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton insists the government's border protection policies will continue despite the prime minister's concerns about asylum seekers in offshore detention.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says he shares public concern about the welfare of asylum seekers in camps on Nauru and Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, but has refused to commit to policy change.
Mr Dutton said the prime minister had assured him privately and publicly the government would continue its immigration policies to keep people smugglers out of business in Australia.
"Ultimately we've been very clear that people will not be settling in Australia," he told Sky News on Wednesday.
Earlier, the prime minister said he understood strong public sentiment on what he said was a challenging and controversial issue.
"I have the same concerns about the situation of people on Manus (Island) and Nauru ... as I think almost all Australians would do," he said.
"But I'm not going to make changes on border protection policy sitting here."
Mr Dutton conceded some changes may be afoot and said the government was working bilaterally and with the United Nations to flesh out other options.
"If we need to sharpen our programs, our policies, which will make it even harder for people smugglers to get through the net, that's exactly what we'll do," Mr Dutton said.
The government wanted to move people out of detention and into permanent settlement "somewhere else in the world" as soon as possible.
But Mr Dutton was confident the prime minister remained "absolutely resolute" on keeping regional processing as a deterrent to people smuggling.
Temporary protection visas and turn-backs were also key aspects of stopping the boats, he said.
Mr Turnbull has also flagged a possible reversal of a decision to exclude Mr Dutton as a permanent member of the national security committee.
He said the minister would be seconded when security issues involving immigration arose but it was important he didn't waste his time on matters irrelevant to his portfolio.
"If experience suggests we should change the arrangements, we will," Mr Turnbull said.
