A chant of "let them stay" drowned out federal Labor Member for Griffith Terri Butler at a rally against the return of baby Asha to Nauru.

Young families, patients in wheelchairs, the head of the Queensland Nurses Union Beth Mol and popular children's book author author Isobelle Carmody were among the 200-strong crowd objecting to the detention of children.

"They are words, this is pure hypocrisy, we want you to say that you are going to close the detention camps," protesters yelled at Ms Butler.