The federal government will remove a protection visa for a specific class of refugees created by Labor and give the immigration minister the final say on individual cases.
Since the visas began in March 2012, only 57 cases had satisfied the requirements on complementary protection grounds.
They were created to protect people who don't meet the full refugee criteria but would be at risk of serious harm if returned to their homeland.
The main aim was to protect women fleeing honour killings and genital mutilation.
However, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the visas were being granted to people who had committed serious crimes in their homelands and others fleeing because of their links to criminal gangs or involvement in blood feuds.
While Australia accepted its obligation not to return people when they could face harm, it had no obligation to follow a particular process or to grant a particular type of visa.
As well, the process created by Labor was complicated and convoluted.
Mr Morrison told parliament he intended to remove the complementary protection criterion from the Migration Act.
"It is the government's intention to re-establish the consideration of complementary protection issues within an administrative process," he said on Wednesday.
"It will allow the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection to exercise his or her intervention powers to grant the most appropriate visa dependent upon the individual circumstances of the case."
Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said Mr Morrison wanted the power to determine cases on his own and it shouldn't be allowed.
"Do we really want to see Mr Morrison in charge of saying which refugees deserve protection and which don't. Mr Morrison is drunk on power," she told reporters.
Debate on the Migration Amendment (Regaining Control Over Australia's Protection Obligations) Bill 2013 was adjourned.
