Kurdish refugee Behrouz Boochani, who spent six years detained on Manus Island, has called for a royal commission into Australia's offshore processing, saying the nation has a right to know what its governments have done onshore and offshore.
In an address at Parliament House in Canberra, Mr Boochani spoke of the asylum seekers who died on Manus Island, the hundreds who were "damaged" because of their detention and the $14 billion spent on contracts.
"I would like to call for a royal commission," he told the parliamentary friends of refugees meeting on Tuesday.
"I think people of Australia have this right to know what the government ... both political parties, what they have done onshore and offshore."
Speaking to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton's previous comments that Mr Boochani would never set foot in Australia, the refugee issued a blunt message of his own.
"I'd really like to say that, (Mr Dutton will) never ever become the prime minister of Australia," Mr Boochani said.
"This man and his party have created a tragedy."
Crossbench MP Zoe Daniel said she supported a royal commission, as did Greens Senator Nick McKim ,who said Australia was inflicting "psychological torture" on asylum seekers in offshore detention centres.
Mr Boochani urged the Albanese government to be brave and support Greens legislation introduced in the Senate to evacuate asylum seekers from Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
The government has moved a motion in the lower house to redesignate the tiny Pacific island nation as a regional processing country and this will be considered by the Senate later.
The Greens party room voted to oppose the move on Tuesday.
Senator McKim said a bill would also be introduced to allow for sick or injured asylum seekers to be brought to Australia from Nauru, a move the party said was consistent with the government's position.
House opposition business manager Paul Fletcher said the coalition supported the urgency of the motion but it showcased the government's incompetence.
"This government has absolutely and hopelessly dropped the ball on a matter which is of considerable importance to our national security," he said.
"The opposition accepts that there is a need to deal with this urgently. It's highly regrettable that the government has managed this so poorly, so as to create this urgency."
Cross-bench independents said they would not support the motion because they would not be given enough time to consider it.
Independent MP Helen Haines accused the government of gagging a debate on an important matter.
"We're being asked to limit debate today on something so sensitive as offshore detention when Behrouz Boochani has just been in Parliament House speaking to us about offshore detention," she said.
"I find this an excruciating and exquisite irony."
