Doubling refugee intake would cost $1.9b

Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles says doubling the refugee intake will cost nearly $2 billion.

Syrian refugees in a camp in Lebanon.

Labor's commitment to double Australia's refugee intake by 2025 will cost $1.9 billion, its immigration spokesman has confirmed.

"We are not like the Liberals who are basically turning their back on the world's problems," Richard Marles told Sky News.

He said the cost was probably the largest spending commitment Labor had made in opposition and would be funded by changes to superannuation tax concessions that will save $14 billion over the same 10 year period.

Government frontbencher Jamie Briggs dismissed claims it would be Labor's biggest spending commitment between now and the next election.

"I didn't realise we are on the Comedy Channel this morning. This is a joke," he told Sky News.