Rudd's PNG plan very cruel: Turnbull

In an interview with The Observer Effect, the former opposition leader said that all policies to do with the people smuggling problem 'are to some extent cruel; some are crueler than others.'

(Quick clip)

'They're all harsh. But the problem we face is that Kevin Rudd dismantled a set of policies much less harsh than this, that John Howard had in place that had succeeded in stopping the boats - in the sense that there were no boats coming, or virtually none.'

'He undid that despite our pleas not to.'

Earlier, Opposition treasurer Joe Hockey said that if elected, an Abbott government would try and make the asylum seeker deal with Papua New Guinea work.

Mr Hockey says the coalition can't strike such a deal when in opposition and forging an agreement with foreign governments at the moment would be totally inappropriate.

He told the Ten Network's Bolt Report that people sent to PNG could end up on Centrelink and Medicare and says Labor's advertising campaign to promote the deal before an election is "outrageous".