Former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr has backed the coalition government's decision to give the Sri Lankan navy two patrol boats, saying his own government had considered doing the same thing.
The vessels are being given to Sri Lanka to support its efforts to stop asylum seekers heading to Australia.
"I think it's sound policy ... to gift patrol boats to a country to help enforce a treaty obligation against people-smuggling, irregular migration, human trafficking," Mr Carr told The Australian in comments published on Tuesday.
Mr Carr said building Sri Lanka's capacity to combat people-smuggling was something the previous Labor government had "vigorously" committed itself to.
"(Gifting patrol boats) was something being considered by the previous government," he said.
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The $2 million gift has been condemned as "abhorrent" by Australian Greens leader Christine Milne, who says it represents collaboration in Sri Lankan human rights abuses.
The opposition is concerned about the lack of detail surrounding the gift.
Labor wants assurances the boats' use will be limited to asylum-seeker operations and Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles says a lack of protocols is "deeply concerning".
Mr Carr dismissed suggestions the boats could be used to perpetrate human rights abuses.
"I can't see how they could be," Mr Carr told the newspaper.
"There are human rights concerns with Sri Lanka, but you've got to be careful about adopting one narrative out of the civil war that lasted 35 years."
