The collapse of the government's inhumane people swap deal with Malaysia means assessments of asylum seekers' claims must be done on-shore. This is the Greens' policy.

The Greens have long argued for both sides of politics to take seriously Australia's obligations under the Refugee Convention and determine all claims for protection on the mainland, as every other signatory does. Unfortunately, the government is being dragged kicking and screaming to this more humane option.

Our party wants an end to mandatory detention, but until that battle is won, here are four measures which can be done right now to prove onshore assessments work.

• 1. Make sure we are not locking up people in detention unnecessarily, a practice followed by every other signatory to the convention.

• 2. Impose with legislation 30-day limits on detention. This is enough time for authorities to conduct initial health and security checks. People can then be moved into the community while their applications for refugee protection are assessed.

• 3. The decision to detain someone beyond 30 days should be reviewable by the courts.

• 4. Increase Australia's humanitarian intake to 20,000-25,000 a year and boost the number of people we take from Indonesia and Malaysia to stop asylum seekers boarding boats in the first place.

These changes will ease the anguish detainees are experiencing and are also cheaper and more humane than maintaining our failed practice of indefinite, mandatory detention.

Senator Hanson-Young in Mae Sot at the Thai-Burma Border

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