Senator Christine Milne, Leader of the Australian Greens, and Deputy Leader Adam Bandt MP delivered a press conference in Adelaide to respond to questions on asylum seekers and the Melbourne by-election

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne held a press conference to discuss the most recent developments on the issue of asylum seekers, mental health and Sundrop farm.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Australian Greens spokesperson for Immigration and Citizenship, is currently visiting Indonesia and available for interview and comment. She is there to investigate the factors holding up refugee assessment and causing people to take dangerous boat journeys.

Prime Minister Gillard should use her meetings today with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reach agreement on resettling a thousand more refugees from Indonesia and putting $10 million more into the UNHCR's work in the country, to give refugees the hope they need in order not to get on boats, the Australian Greens said today.

The constructive contribution of Julian Burnside this morning, proposing saving lives by supporting true and well-resourced regional assessment of people seeking asylum, is what the Greens have proposed and points the way to a long-lasting, humanitarian resolution to this tragedy.

Senators Milne & Hanson-Young held a press conference to discuss regional assessment for asylum seekers, and once again reiterating the Greens opposition to crude and cruel "offshore processing".

The Greens are pleased that the Prime Minister has this evening announced a Multi-Party Committee with experts to work towards saving lives of people seeking asylum, as proposed by the Greens.

It is disappointing, however, that the Greens' constructive proposal to take immediate action to save lives by taking the pressure off those people seeking asylum in Indonesia and Malaysia and increase search and rescue capability in the region, has been voted down by both the government and opposition in the Senate.

The Greens have this morning moved an amendment in the Senate calling on the Government to take immediate action to save lives, including

(Second reading amendment to be moved by the Leader of the Australian Greens, Senator Milne, on behalf of herself and Senator Hanson-Young)

At the end of the motion, add:

                   but the Senate:

                     (a)  calls on the Government to take immediate action to:

(i)                 provide safe pathways for refugees to discourage people taking life threatening journeys;

The Greens today proposed that the Government convene a Multi-Party Committee, including the leadership of all parties as well as independent expert voices, in the mould of the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee, as a mechanism to find a positive, long-term, legal and humanitarian resolution to helping asylum seekers.

"The Australian community is crying out for leadership from politicians to help the desperate people who try to come to our shores seeking asylum," said Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne.