The Federal opposition Labor Party says it will not support the government's plan to permanently ban asylum seekers who arrive by boat.  It's now up to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to seek support from the cross-benchers to pass the plan.

The idea is to permanently ban asylum seekers who are deemed genuine refugees and resettled in a third country.  This would prevent these folks from obtaining tourist or business visas.  Opposition leader Bill Shorten calls this short-sighted.

"The idea that a citizen of the United States or Canada or New Zealand faces a life-time ban preventing them from visiting Australia in 30 or 40 years time is simply unacceptable to me and my Labor colleagues," said Mr. Shorten, who blasted the proposed ban as a "desperate gesture by a floundering government".

Shorten told reporters, "We are on a unity ticket with the government to stop the people smugglers but we are not on a unity ticket to stop the tourists."

Rights lawyers and and refugee support groups question the legality of forever barring people from entering Australia after they have been resettled in a third country - despite having been officially recognised as refugees.  The United Nations says such a plan would likely breach the Refugee Convention.