The human rights group, Amnesty International, says it could be difficult to protect the human rights of people detained offshore under Australia's new immigration laws.
In future any asylum-seeker arriving by boat will be sent to an offshore processing centre.
But Amnestey's refugeee coordinator, Dr Graham Thom, says the new legislation could make it almost impossible to adhere to the reforms that followed the Palmer inquiry.
"How are the reforms going to work in countries like Nauru, or on Manus Island, what are we going to see on those islands, could we see another Cornelia Rau incident on Nauru and if so, how we are going to find out?"
"Who is going to keep the people that are detained there in the public eye, and ensure that their rights are being respected while they are being detained?"