Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has demanded Australian Human Rights Commission president Professor Gillian Triggs apologise "to the people of Australia" for linking the government's policy on stopping the boats with the death penalty in Indonesia.

On Thursday night Professor Triggs told an audience at the Economic Development of Australia forum in Adelaide that the boats needed to stop, but there were consequences of pushing boats back to Indonesia.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said he would not comment on the operation. Credit:Andrew Meares

Speaking off the cuff, Professor Triggs said: "But have we thought about what the consequences are of pushing people back to our neighbour Indonesia? Is it any wonder that Indonesia will not engage with us on other issues that we care about, like the death penalty?"

Mr Dutton called the apparent link between the Bali nine and the government's policy on stopping the boats a "complete disgrace" and "outrageous slur" and called for Professor Triggs to apologise to the Australian public and to the families of the executed Bali drug-smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.