In a late night speech to parliament on Monday, Liberal backbencher Russell Broadbent said he couldn't let his party's hard line on immigration stop him expressing his view that Australia should be "fairer" to refugees.

Broadbent has joined forces with Labor MP Tim Watts and Nationals MP Andrew Broad to call on the government to dramatically increase the number of refugees resettled in regional and rural communities in Australia via private channels such as businesses, individuals, organisations or community groups.

Broadbent said a motion moved by Watts was a call to "compassion, conscience and common sense".

"I can't stand here and say, 'Well I can't say this because my party will be upset with me'', Broadbent told Parliament.

Watts, who recently travelled to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar at his own expense, told parliament that Australia has continually failed to meet its obligations in the international refugee challenge.