He said instead of constantly looking to raise taxes, state and federal leaders should seize the opportunity of boosting the population with traditionally hard-working migrants as a different way of expanding the economy. Migrants cross into Hungary from countries such as Syria. Credit:Getty Images "This shouldn't be requiring much debate," he said. The former Victorian leader said it was up to political leaders to stare down bigots who oppose any mass migration because of their religious beliefs or claims they not fleeing persecution. Liberal Senator Cory Bernardi is being branded an "embarrassment" for saying the toddler Aylan Kurdi, pictured drowned on a Turkish beach, was not a legitimate refugee. "There will be always be people who oppose, and there are always going to be some bigots, but leadership rises above it and the Australian public is desperately crying out for leadership," Mr Kennett said. "The Federal Parliament has failed, absolutely failed, the people of this country for a decade," a passionate Mr Kennett told Fairfax Media.

Mr Kennett urged opponents to "open their eyes": "I say to those Australians who are expressing 'anti' views, open your eyes, look around you. Look in hospitals, without our immigration programs many of these institutions could not operate." beyondblue chairman Jeff Kennett says sports stars are squeezed from all sides by expectation. Credit:Jim Rice The Syrian refugee crisis dominated debate in the Liberal and Coalition party room meetings on Tuesday, with 17 MPs speaking on the issue for about an hour. Mr Abbott said the National Security Committee of cabinet would be briefed by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, who is in Geneva and has now met with UNHCR officials. A decision on whether to go ahead and raise the overall refugee intake is expected as early as Wednesday.

One Liberal MP said there had been a decisive shift in community sentiment, to the effect that Australia now needed to do more by accepting more refugees. This view was backed by several colleagues, though one MP said it should be remembered that Australians didn't want to see the nation take too many refugees. The Prime Minister said Australia would look to do more, consistent with the nation's interests. Mr Abbott also pointed out that Australia only now had the capacity to act on the issue because his government had stopped the flow of asylum seeker boats. He promised Australia would act with "strength and decency", and "judiciously" in the days ahead.

Air strikes on Syria The National Security Committee's meeting on Tuesday is expected to finalise plans to authorise air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria. Mr Kennett said military action was not the right response for Australia. "It's too far away, we haven't got a military force of substance," he said. "So for goodness sake, spend that money on setting up the camps to process these people and bring back 50,000 who want a new life and new hope."

Mr Kennett dismissed suggestions that Australia lacks the infrastructure to house 50,000 refugees and said migrants traditionally worked harder than locally born Australians and pointed the effect the Vietnamese influx in the 1970s had in regenerating Sydney and Melbourne. The federal opposition is calling for an emergency one-off 10,000 increase to the intake along with $100 million funding for the UNHCR. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is suggesting the Coalition could agree to offering refugees a mix of temporary and permanent protection visas. Mr Kennett is the third state Liberal voice to call for greater humanitarian action, in sharp contrast with Mr Abbott's response, which will be finalised when the Immigration Minister Peter Dutton returns from Geneva, where he has been holding talks with the UNHCR. Mr Abbott backs accepting more Syrian refugees but only if they are contained within the current humanitarian intake of 13,750 that is scheduled to increase by 5000 in 2018. New South Wales Premier Mike Baird also wants the federal government to do "more" and promised his state "remains ready and willing to do more than our fair share."

Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy has also called for Australia to accept refugees above the current intake and has suggested the Point Nepean barracks could be used to house Syrian refugees. Mr Kennett said the Federal Parliament's failure over the past 10 years had made State Parliaments look good. "Right now the state of Australian Parliament makes every State Parliament looks good and it has never been the case before," he said. On Tuesday evening Premier Daniel Andrews wrote to the PM saying Defence bases in Victoria could be used to temporality house refugees. Mr Andrews' letter confirmed the state's commitment to assist in resettling any Syrian refugees.

Mr Andrews also said Victoria had some of the "best regarded settlement services" and should be consulted in developing any arrangements. "This may include the temporary housing of refugees in Defence facilities, such as Puckapunyal Army Base, before they are settled in the wider community," Mr Andrews wrote. Follow us on Twitter Follow Latika Bourke on Facebook