A Tony Abbott-led government will make its own decisions on turning back asylum seeker boats and will not hand over policy decisions to Indonesia, the federal opposition insists.
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has said his country would not support the opposition's plan to reinstate the Howard-era policy of turning boats back to Indonesia, when it was safe to do so.
He said on Monday that such policy would constitute a "unilateral type of measure that we do not support".
Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison says Dr Natalegawa is entitled to his opinion but it is up to Australia to decide on its internal policies.
"It's not for him to rule it in or rule it out because that's a domestic policy for Australia," he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
"The coalition is not seeking the agreement of Indonesia."
Indonesia and Australia were both entitled to make their own decisions on domestic policy, he said.
"That's what a self respecting government does," Mr Morrison said.
"It just doesn't go to Jakarta for a photo op and hand over decisions about Australia's borders to another country," he said, referring to a communique signed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono earlier in July rejecting unilateral action.
The opposition leader insists a coalition government would reserve the right to do what was in Australia's national interest.
"We will maintain the best possible relations with our friends and neighbours - always have, always will," Mr Abbott told reporters in Launceston.
"But we have the right to act in our national interest."
Mr Rudd said earlier the opposition was only offering simplistic three word slogans on stopping the boats "which frankly is just a bit lazy because it doesn't actually produce the results".
In 2001, the Howard government turned back four boats to Indonesia.
Seven other attempts were abandoned because of riots, fires or threats of violence to Royal Australian Navy personnel.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Dr Natalegawa had made it clear Indonesia rejected any unilateral action and his comments were "absolutely embarrassing" for the coalition.
"The way in which they (the coalition) have been disrespectful to the most important of our close neighbours, Indonesia, has been disgraceful," Mr Dreyfus told reporters in Sydney.
A one-off regional summit on asylum seekers and people smuggling will be held in Indonesia in August.
President Yudhoyono wants it to be attended by countries of asylum seeker origin, transit and destination.
Meanwhile, national children's commissioner Megan Mitchell says some teenage asylum seekers at the Pontville detention centre near Hobart have resorted to self harm.
Ms Mitchell interviewed 200 unaccompanied minors aged 13-17 there last month and has raised serious concerns about their mental health.
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