Pressure mounts on Australian government to welcome more refugees

New South Wales Premier Mike Baird has joined federal politicians and aid groups calling for the prime minister to increase Australia’s intake of Syrian refugees.

A migrant child sits with a doll. (AAP) Source: EPA

Three aid groups have taken out an advertisement calling for the government to take in 30,000 refugees as Labor and the Greens propose figures of 10,000 and 20,000, respectively.

Tony Abbott announced yesterday that Australia would take more Syrian refugees but it would not increase its overall humanitarian intake.

Following the announcement, aid groups Oxfam, World Vision and Save the Children placed an advertisement in The Australian newspaper urging the government to take 30,000 refugees.

Labor has called for the government to take in 10,000 refugees while the Greens want 20,000 accepted.

New South Wales premier Mike Baird has also proposed the government increase its intake. Appearing on ABC’s Q & A program on Monday, Mr Baird said the government should consider taking more than the number proposed by Labor.

Addressing Labor’s Chris Bowen, who also appeared on Q & A, he queried the figure.

“It was very easy to put a number up. Who’s to say we can’t do more?”

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mr Baird said Australia should be doing more.

“Over the coming days I will be having discussions with the Federal Government to see what ‘more’ looks like and how we can work together to act,” he said. “I will assure the PM that he can count on NSW to do whatever is needed.”

Liberal MP Ewen Jones has gone even further, stating that Australia should take between 30,000 and 50,000 people.

Tony Abbott is awaiting advice from Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, who has been in Geneva for talks with the UN's refugee agency, before deciding on extra action to address the refugee crisis.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia's intake was being looked at.

"We had made an announcement previously that we would increase the intake by 4400 last financial year and again that would have been announced this year," she said on Tuesday.

"Now, because of this crisis, we are reconsidering those figures and we will do what we can, but the prime minister will announce this once Peter Dutton reports back to him on the detail."

British Prime Minister David Cameron this week confirmed that the United Kingdom would take 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years.

Meanwhile New Zealand has announced it will take an extra 600 Syrian refugees, bringing its total number up to 750 over two-and-a-half years.

- With AAP