Malcolm Turnbull has defended the government's border protection policies as protesters gathered outside the London venue hosting an award ceremony for the prime minister.
Mr Turnbull received the Disraeli prize for 2017 from the centre-right think tank Policy Exchange on Monday night.
Protest leader Lizzie O'Shea told AAP: "We are here to protest Malcolm Turnbull receiving an award for his immigration policy because we think that the immigration policy that Australia has is inhumane and unfair and treats people like animals, locking them up indefinitely offshore and around Australia and we think it needs to end."
The prize presented by British Home Secretary Amber Rudd in part honours Mr Turnbull for "maintaining Australia's non-discriminatory immigration program".
Mr Turnbull said in his speech to the forum the government's policy had saved lives and taxpayers dollars.
"As Europe grapples today with unsustainable inflows of migrants and asylum seekers, the Australian experience offers both a cautionary tale and the seeds of a potential solution," he said.
"The lesson is clear: weak borders fragment social cohesion, drain public revenue, raise community concerns about national security and ultimately undermine the consensus required to sustain high levels of immigration and multiculturalism.
"In contrast, strong borders and retention of our sovereignty allow government to maintain public trust in community safety, respect for diversity and support for our immigration and humanitarian programs."
He said strong border protection policies also provided a foundation to deal with Islamist extremism.
