Opposition calls to ban Palestinians fleeing Gaza being issued visas are sowing "fear and division", the prime minister says, seeking to dial down tensions around the issue.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton doubled down on a call for a visa ban, as he sought to raise the issue in parliament.
He denied the position was discriminatory against people fleeing conflict in the Middle East after being labelled as "racist" by fellow MPs and condemned by Islamic groups
"This is not against people of a particular religious belief. This is not against people of a particular political persuasion. This is about keeping our country safe," he told parliament.
"Imagine if the Howard government or the Morrison government had suggested that we would bring people in who are sympathisers to Saddam Hussein or to al-Qaeda or to ISIL or to ISIS."
But Anthony Albanese said the remarks were only leading to further polarisation in Australia.
"(The opposition leader) sows fear and division, that is what he has done his entire political career and he continues to do so," he told parliament on Thursday .
"We have been asked by those people who run our national security to lower the temperature, to think about what we do as political leaders."
Facing repeated questions about the visa situation, the prime minister said the vetting process had remained the same for people from the region seeking to enter Australia as it was during the previous coalition government,
"We don't discuss the details of the methods our agencies used to determine if someone is a national security risk," Mr Albanese said.
"When we were in opposition, we backed the government. We didn't look for a way to divide the country. We didn't look for a way to undermine national security because we know it is simply too important to play games."
Mr Dutton rejected claims he had heightened tensions in the community just days after ASIO director-general Mike Burgess called for public figures to be mindful of their rhetoric.
Independent MP Zali Steggall said the comments from the opposition were concerning and were only inciting community fear.
"These are families that you are seeking to paint that somehow they are all terrorists, that they should all be mistrusted and not worthy, that they are not worthy of humanitarian aid," she told parliament.
"Stop being racist.
"It's very easy to dehumanise people seeking safety. It's very easy to paint a brush that somehow they are all to be feared."
The comments from Mr Dutton led to condemnation by the Alliance of Australian Muslims and the Australian National Imams Council.
In a joint statement, the organisations said the opposition calls had implied innocent people fleeing conflict in the Middle East represented a terrorism threat,
"In a time when all Australians should be coming together to support one another and de-escalate any tensions, Mr Dutton himself has decided to detonate any hope of this," the statement said.
"Australia has a long history of providing aid and refuge for those fleeing war-torn nations, regardless of race, nationality or religion and this should be no different."
