Former prime minister Julia Gillard says Labor never turned back asylum seeker boats but "absolutely" worked to prevent people smuggling when asked if her government ever paid boat crew.

In the face of tough questioning on the BBC's Hardtalk program in London overnight, Ms Gillard refused to directly answer questions about whether cash had ever been paid, possibly for intelligence under her government.

"Did you ever authorise payments to people smugglers to take their cargo away from Australia?" host Stephen Sackur asked.

"We didn't have the same policy about turning boats around, so no," Ms Gillard said.