Australia wants to permanently close the door on asylum seekers trying to enter the country illegally. The government's proposed lifetime ban would affect more than 2-thousand people currently being held in offshore detention centers. Human rights groups say the move will further punish the world's most vulnerable people.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull highlighted an announcement earlier this week with a message for people smugglers.

"If they seek to bring people to Australia those passengers will never settle in this country," he said.

The Turnbull government plans to introduce legislation - that would permanently ban asylum seekers trying to enter Australia illegally by boat.

"A generous humanitarian program, a harmonious multi-cultural society depends on the Australian government being in control of its borders," Turnbull said.

"The government has said this is about targeting people smugglers and stopping their business model, but the people it’s punishing are the people who are here seeking asylum - these are the people who came here seeking the safety and protection of Australia after they fled persecution," said Tim O' Connor, Acting CEO, Refugee Council of Australia.

Australia already has one of the strictest border protection policies in the world which the government says is aimed at stopping deaths at sea.

Asylum seekers attempting to reach the country by boat are taken to offshore detention centres.
Political analysts say the latest proposal appears less about further securing borders -  and more about the Prime Minister.

"Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership, which is constantly under threat, certainly his polling numbers are not doing very well, so he needs something to break that," said Stewart Jackson, Lecturer, University of Sydney.

Earlier this year, the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court ruled the detention of asylum seekers in one of those centres - on Manus Island - was illegal.

Despite growing international criticism, the Turnbull government has repeatedly said those asylum seekers would not be resettled in Australia.

Critics say the new law would also permanently ban hundreds of people already in this country on certain visas from ever living in Australia.

"We accept thousands of refugees and we do so willingly but we will not tolerate any repeat of people smuggling ventures which resulted in over 1,200 deaths at sea under the Labor party and 50,000 unauthorised arrivals," Turnbull  said.

Australia' s parliament is expected to vote on the proposal later this month.