Border protection is in the campaign spotlight amid reports people smugglers are using the election to dupe asylum seekers into believing they can make it to Australia.
Two boatloads of Sri Lankans have been detected by authorities in Indonesia and India.
Gladston Xavier, chairman of the South Asian Refugee Rights Network, told The Australian people smugglers were the motivating force behind the movements.
He said he believed people smugglers had been telling asylum seekers that change is around the corner with the July 2 election approaching.
The reports came as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull admitted offshore processing of asylum seekers was harsh, but necessary to thwart people smugglers marketing their business.
"Any weakness on our part will be exploited by them and the consequence will be women and children and families drowning at sea," he told ABC's Q&A program.
"So it's a tough choice but that's my job to make tough choices to defend Australia, to defend the integrity of our borders."
Mr Turnbull on Tuesday will hand over to traditional owners the title deeds for one of Australia's most complicated and longest-running Aboriginal land rights claims.
The Kenbi land claim deeds has been running for 37 years.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is in Melbourne where he will continue Labor's attack on what it claims are government plans to privatise Medicare.
Mr Turnbull used his Q&A appearance to make another emphatic rejection of Labor's scare campaign.
"I'm saying to all Australians unequivocally, as prime minister, that no part of Medicare that is delivered by government today will be delivered... by anyone else in the future," he said.
