Federal Labor, if elected to government, would have the ability to turn back asylum seeker boats after support for the measure at Labor’s National Conference.

ALP Lyne Federal Electorate Council president Peter Alley said the conference discussed the asylum seeker policy in the context of a fair go for all, not defence policy.

“Labor sees it in the context of what we as a nation can and should do to help some of the most needy desperate people in the world,” he said.

“However, Labor does not want to see any asylum seekers drowning.”

Mr Alley said a strong deterrent policy was needed to ensure we kept the dangerous fishing boat passage between Java and Christmas Island closed and that was why the next Labor government needed every measure in its arsenal, including the possibility of turning back boats. 

“But we also need to be more open to refugees,” he said.

A federal Labor government would invest $450 million, up from $20 million, in the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, to establish regional processing in our region and double the humanitarian refugee intake from 14,000 a year to 27,000 a year. 

The UN Refugee Convention would be restored in the Migration Act, there would be independent oversight of refugee detention centres funded by Australia and an independent children’s advocate appointed whose role would be to advocate for all children in immigration detention.

Meanwhile, Labor MPs will have a conscience vote on same sex marriage for another two terms of government.

Mr Alley said same-sex marriage would become a reality in Australia if all MPs in both houses were allowed a conscience vote on same-sex marriage, based on what each had publicly stated.

“I expect this to occur in this parliament,” he said.

“It is Labor that has put the issue of marriage equality on the national agenda by Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek introducing a bill to the national parliament.”

Mr Alley said they would gladly step back and allow a multi-party bill to allow it to be a bi-partisan move.

After the conference, he said every Labor MP and every rank and file party member would be out selling the national platform in preparation for 2016.