The government and opposition have rejected a bid to open the offshore detention centres in Nauru and PNG for inspection by Australia's Human Rights Commissioner.

They have also blocked an attempt to give the Australian media the same access to the centres it has to mainland and Christmas Island detention centres.

Access denied: Nauru detention centre. Credit:Angela Wylie

There were angry scenes in Parliament on Thursday morning as Labor successfully passed its legislation to excise the entire mainland from the migration zone, with Coalition support.

Previously, asylum seekers who made applications for refugee protection on Australian soil could be released into the community and were not subject to the government's no-advantage rules. Now, only those who arrive by plane will have that right. Those who make it to the mainland by boat will be subject to the same conditions - including detention on Manus Island or Nauru - as those who arrive at Australian territories including Christmas Island.

Amid heated debate, the Greens tried and failed to change the Migration Act to give Australian Human Rights Commissioner Gillian Triggs the same access to offshore processing centres as she has for the mainland.

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