An independent review into violence at Manus Island detention centre will examine security arrangements and intelligence gathered in the lead up to the incident.
Iranian man Reza Berati died and 62 others were injured during the February 17 asylum seeker protest.
The federal government has released the terms of reference into the review that former secretary of the Attorney-General's Department Robert Cornall is conducting.
The review will be undertaken in co-operation with the Papua New Guinean government.
The inquiry will look at security breaches, security management, appropriateness of service providers' response and their ability to manage protest activity.
It will also consider procedural matters related to the management of asylum seekers.
"Any evidence of possible criminal activity obtained by the review will be made available to relevant authorities," an immigration department statement says.
The department also wants recommendations to prevent future incidents.
The review's deadline is April but a progress report must be given to the department by March 31.
Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination has determined Mr Berati was killed by repeated blows to the head, likely caused by a piece of timber, according to an unnamed Papua New Guinean police spokesman.
A preliminary investigation has also found the death occurred after guards from security contractor G4S, which runs the detention centre, entered the centre and tried to suppress the protest, Fairfax Media reports.
Labor backbencher Anna Burke has broken party ranks by calling for the end of offshore processing, saying there is "no moral virtue" in abdicating responsibility to asylum seekers.
"Sadly this has been a failure of both parties," she wrote in the Guardian Australia on Thursday.
She says Australians had shown incredible compassion in the wake of the tragic circumstances of Mr Berati's death.
"It's well past time that parliament followed suit," she added.
The asylum seekers debate needed to be based on fact and not hysteria, Ms Burke says.
Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the terms of reference fail to take into account the role of Immigration Minister Scott Morrison.
"It looks like this inquiry will just be another whitewash from a government in cover-up mode," she said in a statement.
Labor immigration spokesman Richard Marles was more restrained, welcoming the release of the terms of reference.
"We look forward to receiving the interim report as soon as it's complete," he said.
