Former ADF Chief Chris Barrie has slammed the Coalition's policy of turning back the boats saying it puts lives at risk.
“It's a very risky policy," he told SBS Chief Political Correspondent Karen Middleton.
"If that's a policy outcome, that is putting people's lives at risk, then that is a policy we should not be following”.
As chief of the Defence Force under the Howard government, Barrie became involved in the "Children Overboard Affair" in 2001.
“One of the problems I see going back to the last week of the parliamentary sitting is that we seem to be stuck. We do not seem to have much imagination when solving this problem and frankly I cannot see it going away”.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
“My concern is to continue to implement a policy like that, it will seriously put people's lives at risk”.
He also says a regional solution must be sought in consultation with Indonesia, as the country will be highly overpopulated in the coming decades.
“Offshore processing ought to be done closer to the places asylum seekers are coming from” he said.
Mr Barrie says Australian should raise its refugee intake to accept asylum seekers fleeing from persecution and war torn countries.
Australia took in 13,799 refugees under the Humanitarian Program in 2010-2011. Critics says that's a very low number compared to other developed nations.
“I look at Australia, the country with the second lowest population density on the planet, and think there is a lot of space here for people who might need a home”.
