Australia will take more Syrian refugees in response to the escalating humanitarian crisis fuelled by Middle East bloodshed and persecution.
But  Tony Abbott is unwilling to increase Australiaâ€[TM]s overall refugee intake beyond an already planned rise, instead of just making more places avail-able for Syrians at the expense of other nationalities under the existing 13,750 cap.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton last night left  for Geneva for urgent talks with the UNâ€[TM]s  refugee agency on how Australia can do its part to aid the millions fleeing violence in Syria and northern Iraq.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also said  Australia was willing to boost aid for refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon and help establish â€oesafe havensâ€ within Syria, Iraq and along the border for displaced people so they could return home after the conflict.
As recently as Saturday, the Prime Minister  was non-committal about accepting more Syrian refugees. Mr Abbottâ€[TM]s change of heart comes as Cabinetâ€[TM]s national security committee is likely this week to tell  the RAAF to expand bombing raids against Islamic State targets from Iraq to Syria. 
Mr Abbott  said he was disposed to take significantly more people from the â€oetroubled regionâ€ and provide more financial aid to deal with the refugee crisis, which has spread from the Middle East to Europe.
â€oeLike just about every other Australian, I was moved by the horrific imagery of that little boy washed up on a beach in Turkey,â€ he said.
â€oeWe canâ€[TM]t save the world single-handedly but nevertheless we will be a significant part of international efforts to help in this very difficult situation.â€
Mr Abbott said the focus was on saving families, women and children from persecuted minorities but would not be drawn on the number to be resettled here.
He said the Government had been â€oeahead of the curveâ€ by already making 4400 resettlement places available to Syrians and Iraqis in 2014-15, or about 30 per cent of the annual cap. 
The cap will rise to 18,750 places by 2018-19 but Mr Abbott ruled out an even higher increase to accommodate the extra Syrians.
When it allocated the 4400 places to Syrians and Iraqis in   August last year, the Government also pledged 4500 places would go  to Syrians over three years as a medium-term commitment. The West Australian  understands any increase in resettling Syrians would be over and above these 4500 places.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Mr Abbottâ€[TM]s belated recognition was welcome but still not enough. 
He said Labor wanted to double the overall refugee intake to 27,000 within a decade, which would include taking more Syrians, as well as give the UN High Commissioner for Refugees an extra $450 million.
The Greens said  an extra 20,000 Syrians should be immediately resettled here.
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