Human Rights Watch urged Julia Gillard to lift a controversial freeze on Afghan and Sri Lankan asylum claims and end "refugee-bashing" ahead of elections.
The New York-based group said the PM, who has signalled a tough approach on immigration, should resume processing Afghan and Sri Lankan claims after a suspension which has been criticised by the United Nations.
"Ending the suspension of Sri Lankan and Afghan claims would be an excellent start to Gillard's government and demonstrate her commitment to human rights," said the group's acting Asia director Elaine Pearson.
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Gillard, who deposed Kevin Rudd in a party coup and will face elections within months, has called for an end to "political correctness" in the debate over the boatloads of asylum seekers reaching Australia's north.
She's poised to make an announcement on the issue this week, as a three-month freeze on Sri Lankan claims ends on Thursday. Afghan claims are currently suspended for another three months.
"In an election year, the Gillard government should reset the debate on the treatment of refugees and end refugee-bashing for political gain," Pearson said.
Gillard spent her first week in office defusing a row over a mining tax and has made it her next priority to address the issue of asylum-seekers, and is likely to be a major factor at the polls.
Rudd came under sustained pressure after scrapping the harsh immigration policies of former conservative leader John Howard, which current opposition leader Tony Abbott has pledged to reinstate.
"For people to say they're anxious about border security doesn't make them intolerant. It certainly doesn't make them a racist," Gillard said on Sunday.
"So I'd like to sweep away any sense that people should close down any debate, including this debate, through a sense of self-censorship or political correctness," she added.
The Australian newspaper on Monday said, without citing sources, that Gillard's government was planning to send Afghan asylum-seekers home under an agreement with the Kabul government that would guarantee their safety.
Labor frontbencher Mark Butler refused to deny the report, telling Sky News only that "the situation in Afghanistan is fluid".
Greens unimpressed
But the Greens disagree, noting that 10 ethnic Hazaras were beheaded in Afghanistan the day Julia Gillard became prime minister less than two weeks ago.
"A deal struck between Julia Gillard and the Afghan government is not going to secure their safety," Greens immigration spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young told ABC Television.
"It's just Labor Party spin ... to continue down that low road of politics, chasing (Opposition Leader) Tony Abbott in a tussle to beat up on refugees.
"Julia Gillard should know better."
