Malcolm Turnbull says it is for others to comment on a speech by Tony Abbott in which the former prime minister said the Christian instruction to "love your neighbour" was leading to catastrophic border protection policies.
Mr Abbott said while the "imperative to love your neighbour as you love yourself" was at the heart of every Western policy, "right now this wholesome instinct is leading much of Europe into catastrophic error".
The comments have sparked outrage from various quarters, including from Catholic priests and other community leaders.
Mr Turnbull on Wednesday said he would leave others to "run the commentary on it".
"He has obviously had a remarkable career in public life including two years as prime minister and we owe him a great debt for that," the prime minister said.
"His views are in hot demand all around the world."
Delivering the annual Margaret Thatcher Lecture at London's at London's Guildhall on Tuesday night, Mr Abbott said "no country or continent can open its borders to all comers without fundamentally weakening itself".
"This is the risk that the countries of Europe now run through misguided altruism."
The comments from the former prime minister, who trained as a priest, have sparked outrage, including from some prominent members of the Catholic Church.
Frank Brennan, a Jesuit priest, said the Jesuit-educated former prime minister had "no right to preach to the world because, having stopped the boats, he insisted on maintaining the facilities at Nauru and PNG".
Father Brennan said Mr Abbott was "confusing the situation regarding Australia".
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said European leaders did not need Mr Abbott lecturing them on the refugee crisis.
"I'm not sure that European leaders grappling with the scale and dimension of the problem, which we don't have in Australia, are necessarily going to benefit by Tony Abbott's advice," Mr Shorten told reporters in Sydney.
"As we've seen from the dreadful scenes in the Mediterranean to the massive border queues and the literally movement of millions of people, I'm not sure that Tony Abbott on a victory lap giving a Margaret Thatcher lecture is exactly what Europe needs to solve its problems."
Greens leader Richard Di Natale said Mr Abbott was espousing "a failed view" of the world and was a "liability" for Mr Turnbull.
"The only catastrophic error that Europe has made is giving Tony Abbott a platform to speak. To give a failed prime minister a platform to espouse his hateful and insular views of the world," Senator Di Natale said.
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