Bringing refugees and asylum seekers to Australia quicker will stop boat arrivals by restoring hope for people that their claims will be processed, a Greens MP has told parliament.
Adam Bandt says people languishing in camps and fleeing persecution overseas take up offers from people smugglers because they can't see any other way into Australia right now.
"Once the message gets through in these camps that Australia is taking people again ... once we start seeing claims in the thousands being processed in Indonesia and Malaysia elsewhere, then people will understand there's no point getting on a boat and risking their life to come to Australia," he said.
Mr Bandt said the government had not stopped deaths at sea by turning back boat arrivals, it had just resulted in the deaths occurring elsewhere.
"Deaths are still happening, we just don't see them," he said.
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