The Labor national conference has voted down a motion to reject the policy of turning back asylum seeker boats after an emotional and passionate debate on Saturday.

The hour-long debate was initially interrupted by protesters who unfurled a banner saying "no refugee tow backs".

Others who were shouting out their opposition to the plan were removed by security.

Federal Labor MP Andrew Giles moved the motion, telling the conference he was unconvinced by turn-backs and their effectiveness.

"I regard them as inherently unsafe. In my view they are clearly contrary to our international obligations," Mr Giles said.

Mr Giles and Queensland Senate candidate Murray Watt - who seconded the motion - both argued turning back boats was an impediment to achieving a regional solution with nations like Indonesia.

Mr Watt called it a "poke in the eye" to Indonesia.

He also called for offshore detention centres to be closed as soon as possible but said that should only be when there are regional arrangements in place with other countries to manage asylum seeker flows.

Bill Shorten has proposed an overhaul of Labor's asylum seeker policy. ( AAP: Tracey Nearmy )

"I have come to the view that I just do not think that offshore processing can be done in a humane and safe way," Mr Watt told the conference.

Labor leader Bill Shorten closed the debate arguing the party needed the option of turning boats back.

He released a policy earlier on Saturday promising to double the number of asylum seekers Australia accepts as well as more support for the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR.

Mr Shorten and Labor's immigration spokesman Richard Marles also vowed Labor would tell the public more about what happened when boats were intercepted.

"A Labor government will support immigration, we will support refugees and we will not reopen the lethal seaway between Indonesia and Christmas Island," Mr Shorten said.

Labor Party president Mark Butler, who was chairing the session, initially declared the motion defeated "on the voices" and after a show of hands.

Senior Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese voted for the motion to ban turn-backs.

Other senior frontbenchers from the Left faction, Penny Wong and Tanya Plibersek gave their votes to proxies, who also supported Mr Giles's motion banning boat turn-backs.

I want everyone to get here safely: Burke

Tony Burke, who was immigration minister when Labor lost office in 2013, told the conference 33 people died in less than four months he spent as Minister, including a 10-week-old baby.

In a passionate and emotional speech arguing that Labor needs to be able to turn boats back, he said he asked his staff to find out the child's name from the Department.

"The staff came back and said, 'Oh no, we have spoken to the Department they can't give you the name, you can't use it in the media at the moment because the names can change and the details can change'."

"And I said, 'Can you just tell them, I don't want to use it in the media'.

"He was 10 weeks old. He died on my watch. I just want to know his name. His name was Abdul Jafari.

"I was given his name on a post-it note and I kept that post-it note on my desk until we lost office."

Mr Burke said Labor needed to change its policy.

"Be in no doubt, if we allow a consequence of our policies to be that people smugglers can credibly argue that they can sell someone the chance to be Australian, then good, desperate people will say that's worth the risk," he said.

"I want us to help more people than we've ever helped before but I want everyone to get here safely."

Some in the audience were moved to tears by his speech.