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Bill Shorten has vowed to take the first step to resettle refugees in limbo on Nauru and Manus Island on the day he is sworn in as prime minister, if he wins the July 2 election.
The Labor leader says one of his first acts as prime minister would be to re-engage the United Nations refugee agency in identifying resettlement countries for around 2000 asylum seekers who have been held against their will on the islands for three years.
"I will be sending [immigration spokesman] Richard Marles on the day we are sworn in to Geneva," Mr Shorten told Fairfax Media.
"I cannot believe that we are so inept that we couldn't have negotiated resettlement arrangements for 2000 or 3000 people in the last three years. I just don't buy it."
The UNHCR's regional representative, Thomas Albrecht, said the agency would welcome any constructive conversation around "the humanitarian imperative" of finding a way forward for those on Nauru and Manus.
But Mr Albrecht stressed that securing an outcome would depend on the attitude of potential resettlement countries.
After visiting both sites last month, the UNHCR expressed alarm at the "immense harm" being done to the physical and mental health of the asylum seekers and called for them to be "immediately moved to humane conditions with adequate support and services".
"These people have already been through a great deal, many have fled war and persecution, some have already suffered trauma," the agency reported. "Despite efforts by the governments of Papua New Guinea and Nauru, arrangements in both countries have proved completely untenable."
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton maintains the only settlement option for those on Nauru is Cambodia and those on Manus Island can either settle in Papua New Guinea or return to their home country, where refugees would risk persecution.
The Coalition is pushing asylum seeker policy as a key election issues, accusing Labor of being "hopelessly divided" on the issue and weak on border protection.
Mr Shorten says there is overwhelming support among Labor MPs and candidates for Labor's policy of offshore processing centres and turning back boats when safe to do so - and that the key concern is the plight of those on Nauru and Manus.
While maintaining the centres are a deterrent to future arrivals, Mr Shorten says Labor would have much more stringent oversight of their operations and remove penalties for whistleblowers.
"I genuinely believe that onshore processing of people who come by boat leads to fatal consequences," Mr Shorten said in an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media.
"I cannot go with the argument that some in the left have that it doesn't matter how they [asylum seekers] get here, you just worry about them once they are here. But that does not condone the lazy languishing over three years of people stuck in detention."
Mr Marles intends to engage the UNHCR in identifying countries with established resettlement programs to take those on Nauru and Manus, such as the USA, Canada and Scandanavia.
He has ruled out any of those on Nauru and Manus being resettled in Australia, saying this would "become a significant encouragement to people smugglers"; suggested New Zealand is not an option; ruled out Cambodia as a resettlement country; and is open to an agreement with Malaysia.
"Australia needs to re-connect with the global community at a point in time when the globe is experiencing its greatest humanitarian need," Mr Marles said.
Cuts in UNHCR funding, the removal of references to the refugee convention in legislation and the government's rhetoric had all sent a signal that Australia was turning its back on the world, he said.
Labor would increase funding to the UNHCR to $450 million, increase Australia's refugee intake to 27,000 over 10 years and restore references to the convention in legislation.
