Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown and Immigration Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-young respond to the government's asylum seekers announcement.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown and Immigration spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young spoke to journalists in Canberra today about the Commonwealth Ombudsman and the public’s right to information, Migration Act amendments, and the passage yesterday of the carbon package legislation.

Greens Leader Bob Brown today urged Prime Minister Julia Gillard to make good on her promise to have an annual debate on Australia's military commitment to the war in Afghanistan and, amid an increasingly ugly debate on asylum seekers, urged all sides to respect the right of people fleeing that war to seek asylum in this country.

"Australian soldiers should be brought home, without delay. As Professor Hugh White said this morning, the government should consider that we might lose as many as another 40 Australians there over the next three years, Senator Brown said.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's glib defence of the Howard era's "protection" of asylum seekers as "upholding basic human rights" highlights how low, self-serving and myopic his race to the bottom with the Gillard government has become, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

Bob Brown speaks in Hobart about the Gillard government's changes to the Migration Act to allow offshore processing and comments on concerns that the Tasmanian parks service won't have enough money to manage the new forest reserves.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown and Immigration spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young today met with Immigration Secretary Andrew Metcalfe, department officials and Senator Kate Lundy.

"A robust discussion ensued," Senator Brown said in Canberra. "I explained that comments as reported had been very damaging."

Today's decision marks a new day of shame in Australia's history of mistreatment of asylum seekers, Greens Leader Bob Brown said.

"Offshore processing was the wrong answer under John Howard and it is wrong answer now," Senator Brown told reporters in Canberra.

"Treating asylum seekers humanely by processing their claims in Australia is the best answer.

"It is the humane solution; it is the cost effective solution; it is the international legal solution and it is the popular solution - with 54% backing according to today's opinion poll.

The Gillard Government and Abbott Opposition are edging towards an unholy alliance aimed at agreeing on legislation for offshore processing of refugees in breach of international law, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"The High Court's decision was based on the global refugee convention but now there's an emerging big party consensus to circumvent it. The Greens will not," Senator Brown said in Hobart.

"Our policy for onshore processing is legal, humane and saves billions of dollars - and it is backed by public opinion," Senator Brown said.