IMMIGRATION Minister Scott Morrison says he's "taking the sugar off the table" by shutting the door on refugees registered with the United Nations in Indonesia.
Mr Morrison, the federal MP for Cook, says Australia would no longer accept asylum seekers who applied for resettlement after July 1 through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees office in Indonesia.
The minister has rejected claims the ban extends to UNHCR applicants in other countries.
"The government's announcement only applies to Indonesia," he said.
Refugee advocates and the Greens have criticised the decision as cruel and hard-hearted.
But Mr Morrison says the refugee convention was not set up so that people could go "forum shopping".
"People think they can transit, sit in Indonesia and use that as a place to gain access to Australia," he said.
"This is designed to stop people flowing into Indonesia. It's taking the sugar off the table."
Will it work? Is it the right thing to do?
