The Anglican Church has called for a sane conversation on asylum seekers after Australia's major parties descended to the political basement on the issue during the election campaign.
Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide Jeffrey Driver said Labor and the coalition essentially tried to outbid each other with measures that set aside the facts and disregarded elements of basic humanity.
"The recent federal election saw the debate about asylum seekers descend to the political basement."
He said Labor's no benefit scheme, to send all those arriving by boat to another country, was inhumane and used vulnerable people to discourage people smugglers.
While he said the coalition's answer was to turn back the boats, although no-one could explain how the voyage back to places like Indonesia would be less risky than continuing.
"We have had the election and it is time to resume a sane conversation on this difficult subject," Archbishop Driver told the Anglican Adelaide synod on Friday.
The archbishop said it would be helpful if everyone put aside language that so often pervaded the debate including the nonsense that asylum seekers were queue jumpers or that they were illegal arrivals.
He said there must be appropriate border controls and he knew of no-one who suggested Australia have an open-door policy to take a limitless number of refugees.
"But this problem is not going to go away and even if they are reduced somewhat, the boats will keep coming," Archbishop Driver said.
"This is because they are part of a global phenomenon.
"For all that we might do here in Australia, this phenomenon needs to be addressed with the help of global partners and as close as possible to the place of first refuge.
"Despite the political rhetoric, the human problem has not gone away."
