IT'S TIME for Australia to find its compassion when dealing with refugees, and increasing the asylum-seeker resettlement quota is the right thing to do, according to former prime minister's wife Therese Rein.
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In one of her first major interviews since leaving the Lodge, Ms Rein said last year was a complete blur, and she was enjoying getting back into her own career after having to balance her work with her husband's role.
The former ''first lady'' flew to Canberra to receive an Australian National University Alumnus of the Year award on Saturday after a month-long work trip in Europe.
She said the award made her ''freshly grateful for the opportunities I've had''.
Ms Rein said she reflected on countries such as Jordan, the population of which swelled by a third after an influx of Syrian refugees.
''I know this has become a highly politicised, deeply divisive debate, and I think it's time we looked to our humanity and compassion,'' she said.
''What I do reflect on is that there are a lot of people in the world who are displaced because of war, famine, oppression, and it is really important that, as part of the United Nations, we welcome people to this country who are fleeing all of that.''
Ms Rein's European business trip was a chance to focus on Ingeus Ltd, the welfare-to-work-placement company she founded in 1989, after having to balance being a businesswoman and a public figure. It's a change she is relishing.
''I wanted to do my best as first lady, and I also wanted to keep contributing at work … I'm really, really happy to be back and doing that more,'' she said.
''The opportunity of serving as the wife of the prime minister, that was an enormous honour … and I wouldn't have missed that for the world, but I'm really enjoying what I do now.''
The company has expanded it's operations into Spain, but Ms Rein was tight-lipped about any plans to return to the Australian market.
''The reason we are not here in Australia doing this is an accident of history rather than because I don't think there are people here who we would be able to assist … I made an ethical decision to sell the Australian operation so there would be no conflict of interest if Labor was elected and Kevin [Rudd] became prime minister.''
Being out of the limelight and working full time is making her happy. ''For me, I have been working and really enjoying that, and spending time with my children and my friends and our daughter and that has been very good. Had a lovely holiday at Christmas … but I'm very focused on working and the company.''
