Most Australians are sympathetic towards refugees, with eight out of 10 saying they'd help one settle in their community, according to a Red Cross survey.
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The survey of 1000 people found 67 per cent of Australians agree or strongly agree that refugees have made a positive contribution to society.
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Eighty-three per cent of Australians agree that those fleeing persecution should be able to take refuge in another country, while 31 per cent know of someone who has come to Australia to escape persecution or conflict.
"There appears to be a disconnect between the strong sympathy of the Australian public and the unsympathetic nature of much of the public debate around asylum seekers and refugees," Australian Red Cross CEO Robert Tickner (Tickner) said in a statement on Monday.
The survey, released to coincide with Refugee Week (June 20 to 26), found 86 per cent of Australians said they, too, would flee to a safe country if they lived in a conflict zone and were under threat.
Ninety-four per cent of those said they would use all their money and assets to get to a safe country.
"From post-war Europe to Afghanistan, Australia is a country built on migration," Mr Tickner said.
"Today's refugees and asylum seekers are just like us, and our similarities are greater than our differences.
"We must never forget their humanity."
On Sunday, World Refugee Day, the Australian Human Rights Commission said Australia must not turn its back on refugees.
Commission president Catherine Branson QC said recent public debate about asylum seekers had often overlooked the fact that they make up a very small percentage of Australia's immigration intake.
Australia received less than two per cent of asylum claims made in industrialised countries in 2009.
