Federal Government MP Andrew Broad is calling for a dramatic increase in Australia's sponsored refugee resettlement program.

Key points: MP Andrew Broad calling for number to be raised from 1,000 to 10,000

MP Andrew Broad calling for number to be raised from 1,000 to 10,000 Labor MP introduced motion in Parliament calling for Government to consider expanding program

Labor MP introduced motion in Parliament calling for Government to consider expanding program Liberal MP Russell Broadbent also supports expanding program

He is one of two Government MPs who have spoken out in support of the Opposition's call for the program to be widened.

Australia currently reserves 1,000 places a year for the private and community sponsorship of refugees.

Mr Broad is calling for that number to be increased to 10,000.

"It would have to be integrated with businesses that could demonstrate job security and integration support," he told the ABC.

"And it can't just be the workers, it must be the families too."

Labor's Tim Watts has introduced a motion in Parliament calling for the Government to consider expanding the program as a cost-effective way for Australia to increase its refugee intake.

He said he was grateful for the support of Mr Broad and Liberal MP Russell Broadbent.

"There are areas of agreement in the community, civil society and even within this Parliament, about the role that Australia should play," he told the chamber.

"One area of consensus on this issue is the importance of humanitarian resettlement of refugees formally registered with the UNHCR to Australia."

Mr Broadbent said he was only too happy to support it.

"What [Mr Watts] has actually put out is a clarion call to compassion, conscience and common sense," he said.

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

"In our region, we have five times the people that go to the Grand Final waiting off our shores.

"I know we can't take them all, but what we can do is say we're a community [that] wants to sponsor families, people, individuals — we can make it easier for them to do that."

Refugees 'opened hearts of people' in local town: Broad

Mr Broad told the Parliament he was won over after seeing how refugees have breathed life into the town of Nhill in his electorate.

"It's changed the culture of the town, it's opened the hearts of the people in the town and there's been a recent report that it's also contributing $41 million to the economic activity of a town of about 3,000 people," he said.

"The school is now full, the kindergarten is now full, there are new houses being built in this town.

"There needed to be some initial accommodation for new arrivals, there needed to be support for new families and there needed to be some management of the degree of cultural adjustment.

"What I say to people when they are in fact a little apprehensive about Australia taking more refugees … it's really about what are the services we're going to provide, what are the communities we're going to put them in and how are we going to get them integrated into our communities.

"If we put that work around it, we can actually do this."