Opposition Leader Bill Shorten's office distributed a heavily edited transcript of a television interview by Labor MP Linda Burney on asylum seekers, removing her calls for a "time limit" on the offshore detention of refugees, in what the Coalition has dubbed a "fraudulent document".

Ms Burney's office has taken responsibility for what it has described as a "stuff up". But the incident comes at an especially difficult time for Labor on the topic of asylum seekers, with numerous party conferences set to debate softening Labor's position on offshore detention.

Refugees on Manus Island and Nauru have been there for five years and Sky News host David Speers asked Ms Burney on Wednesday whether there should be a time limit to take them off the islands.

Ms Burney said Labor's policy would be decided in coming months, but added: "I think that we are saying most clearly that there shouldn't be indefinite detention. There needs to be a time frame and I'm sure there are people who are working towards that. I think there needs to be a time limit."