Clive Palmer is pushing to get child asylum seekers out of Nauru and Christmas Island detention centres in exchange for supporting the reintroduction of temporary protection visas.
The leader of the Palmer United Party is looking at what conditions would apply to the visas and his starting point in negotiations is getting youngsters released.
"Our position is that it's very important to get the children off Christmas Island and Nauru," Mr Palmer told reporters in Canberra.
The visas were a key plank of the Abbott government's asylum seeker boat crackdown but the upper house blocked their reinstatement last year.
The government has been negotiating with crossbenchers following the Senate changeover in July, to have the temporary protection visas reintroduced.
Talks with the government are ongoing but Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says he's optimistic he'll get his way.
Mr Palmer said there were unaccompanied children on Christmas Island with no hope.
"I don't think any Australian likes to think of a five year old ... alone at night away from their parents not being properly cared for," he said.
"As a father that concerns me."
Mr Palmer lamented that public debate on asylum seekers had become political.
"These are all human beings with flesh and blood and families," he said.
He said he's also concerned about the $6-7 billion cost of detaining asylum seekers each year.
"Wouldn't it be great if we could come up with a solution where all those people could have a happy outcome, the economy could be boosted and we could save that money for the budget," Mr Palmer said.
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