Australia has copped a barrage of criticism at a United Nations human rights forum over its treatment of asylum seekers on the high seas and in offshore detention centres.
But Australia was defiant as dozens of countries called on it to wind back or end boat turn-backs and mandatory detention, and grant refugees their full rights. 
Australia's delegation, which included MP Philip Ruddock, insisted that turning back asylum seeker boats and putting asylum seekers in overseas detention centres was necessary, and had saved lives.
The UN Human Rights Council's official review of Australia's human rights policies took place at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on Monday. The scrutiny comes at a time when Australia is vying for a two-year term on the council.
During the review, representatives from more than 100 countries gave recommendations on how Australia should improve its human rights record.
Countries including Brazil, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Bangladesh - even Rwanda, Iran and North Korea - expressed concern over Australia's treatment of refugees.
The presence of women and children asylum seekers in detention centres came in for particular criticism.
Countries taking part in the review also noted Australia's inadequate treatment of Indigenous people, the high level of violence against women, and the spread of Islamophobia.
Most countries acknowledged that Australia had made progress since its first human rights review in 2011.
However Russia pointed out that Australia had fully implemented just 10 per cent of the 145 recommendations it had accepted from that review - a statistic it plucked from this year's report by the Australian Human Rights Commission.
In pre-written responses, Australia's delegation defended government migration policy during the three-hour session.
Steve McGlynn, from the Immigration Department, said Australia was committed to strong border protection measures - and a "critical element is to send a clear message that people smugglers do not offer a path to Australia".
The drop in boat numbers meant Australia was able to resettle more refugees through other channels.
Andrew Goledzinowski, ambassador for people smuggling issues, said Australia had "experimented with the free arrival of asylum seekers by boat", which had led to people smuggling networks mobilising a flotilla of more than 800 boats.
After the session, Mr Ruddock said he thought it was "a very positive performance by Australia and very well-received".
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton described the UN process as "a farce", despite the fact that Australia is bidding for a place on the same council that undertook the review.
"My favourite contribution to this UN process was from North Korea - a bastion of human rights - with their representative reported to have said that his country was 'seriously concerned at continued maltreatment of and violence against the refugees and asylum seekers'," Mr Dutton said.
"This shows what a farce this process is."
He said that what the government was "proud of is the fact that we have been able to stop people drowning at sea, we have removed children from detention and been able to close 13 of the 17 detention centres down, opened by Labor".
The HRC's recommendations from the review will be made public on Thursday. They are not binding under international law.
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