Senator Vanstone says the government has already agreed to a number of changes, but no agreement has been reached.
Under the new laws, all illegal boat arrivals would be processed at offshore detention centres.
Senator Vanstone says she, like the Prime Minister, John Howard, is a patient person and she can wait until there is full party agreement on any changes.
“I too have a remarkable degree of patience, sometimes I surprise myself, but the Prime Minister is a very, very patient man and this Bill is very important to us and we will keep talking. All this Bill seeks to do is to say, with respect to those very few people who make it from an offshore Island to the Australian mainland- we're going to treat you in the same way as we would if you landed on an offshore Island,” Senator Vanstone said.
However, a leading lawyers group says if the federal government goes ahead with tougher immigration laws it could create Australia's own Guantanamo Bay.
The Law Council of Australia says the detainees would be guilty of nothing more than arriving as asylum seekers without a valid visa.
The President of the Law Council, John North, says the changes would remove basic legal protection provided under Australia's legal system.
He says this includes access to legal advice, independent review and appeals to courts.