Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the detention facilities on Christmas Island will be re-opened to guard against a feared influx of asylum seeker boats.
Mr Morrison told reporters on Wednesday, "we have approved putting in place the re-opening of the Christmas Island detention facilities, both to deal with the prospect of arrivals as well as dealing with the prospect of transfers".
He said the measure was part of "a range of strengthening" of Operation Sovereign Borders' capacity needed because of a bill which would make it easier to medically evacuate critically ill asylum seekers from offshore detention centres to Australia.
The bill has now passed both houses of Parliament against the government's wishes, after Labor forced a vote earlier on Wednesday.
Mr Morrison warned Labor's amendments to the bill could restart the people-smuggling trade.
The Christmas Island detention centre. Source: AAP
"My job now is to ensure that the boats don't come. My job now is to do everything within my power and in the power of the government to ensure that what the parliament has done to weaken our borders does not result in boats coming to Australia," he said.
He denied his ramped-up rhetoric played into the hands of people smugglers, saying "I'm standing between people smugglers and bringing a boat to Australia".
Bill only applies to those already on Manus, Nauru
The fast-tracked medical transfers will only apply to the existing cohort of refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru, a point that Mr Morrison refused to concede at the press conference.
"If we're re-elected it won't apply to anybody because I will reverse it ... It's not my law. I think it's a foolish law. It's a foolish law and it's not one that I support."
He argued people smugglers did not deal with the nuance of the "Canberra bubble" but rather the psychology of messaging about "stronger" and "weaker" borders.
"It might be all fine and nice to talk about these nuances here in this courtyard," he said.
"But when you're in a village in Indonesia and someone is selling you a product, there's no protection or truth in advertising for people smugglers."
Reaction has been swift, with shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus slamming the government on Twitter.
