The Refugee Council of Australia has branded the government's reintroduction of temporary protection visas (TPVs) as needlessly punitive and counter-productive.
Council chief executive Paul Power said most of those granted TPVs by the former Howard government were never able to return home and were allowed to stay in Australia.
Mr Power said use of TPVs from 1999-2007 was still a cruel policy which brought uncertainty, unfairness and fear to people already traumatised by their journey to Australia.
He said TPVs would only be granted to those already in Australia as all future arrivals would go to offshore processing centres in Nauru and PNG and would never be settled in Australia.
"The government cannot claim TPVs as a possible deterrent for future arrivals," he said in a statement.
"Not only is this policy needlessly punitive, it will be counter-productive and ultimately against Australia's national interest."
In opposition, the coalition promised a three-pillar policy to stop asylum seeker boat arrivals through TPVs, turning back boats and offshore processing.
It reintroduced TPVs by regulation this week, with the policy officially starting on Friday.
TPVs will be granted for up to three years, with recipients allowed to work, to access Medicare and, subject to agreement with state and territory governments, to public education.
They aren't eligible to sponsor family members for an Australian visa. TPV holders who depart Australia won't be allowed to return.
"The reintroduction of temporary protection visas is a key element of the government's border protection strategy to combat people smuggling and to discourage people from making dangerous voyages to Australia," the government's explanatory statement says.
Mr Power said of 11,000 asylum seekers granted TPVs under the former policy, more than 9500 were given permanent protection by the time the coalition left office in 2007.
"The Howard government had to face the reality that it is rare for conditions in refugees' countries of origin to improve quickly and the Abbott government will face the same reality," he said.
