Former ACT chief minister Jon Stanhope, who has been recognised for his distinguished service to the community in this year's Australia Day honours, says the nastiness and lack of empathy for asylum seekers needs to be addressed.
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''I honestly don't believe history will judge this generation of Australians very well in relation to this issue, the issue about how we have demonised asylum seekers, the language we use, the lack of empathy, the lack of sensitivity and the selfishness around asylum seekers,'' he said. ''There is an inability to put ourselves in the shoes of asylum seekers.''
Mr Stanhope was one of 40 people appointed an officer in the general division of the Order of Australia (AO) for his service to the ACT ''through leadership roles, to the advancement of human rights and social justice, and to economic development''.
The former Labor leader is due to return to Canberra from Christmas Island in September after serving a two-year term as administrator of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
The 62-year-old said he was looking forward to ''some of the freedoms that not being engaged by the Commonwealth will allow me in relation to a whole range of pressing issues''.
He said he would not critique government policy on asylum seekers but he believed Australia Day was an occasion to review the ''national conversation'' around them.
''I'm very proud to be an Australian, I believe it's one of the luckiest, greatest countries on earth, one of the strongest democracies and we should rightly celebrate it, but I also think we have to be mature enough to reflect on those things that aren't so great,'' he said.
Mr Stanhope said that, by living on Christmas Island with its detention centre, he and other residents saw the dramatic arrivals of asylum seekers but also the way they engaged in everyday life.
''We have 2000 asylum seekers living in detention, but very visible and walking out and about in the community,'' he said.
''We see the babies, we see the children, the pregnant women. We see laughing, smiling human beings who are awaiting transportation to Nauru and Manus.
''But I don't think the rest of Australia sees them in all their humanity, that's the regret I had about some of the conversation, some of the debate, to be frank, some of the nastiness expressed. And on Australia Day, we should reflect on that.''
The AO is the second-highest level of the Order of Australia and Mr Stanhope said it was a ''wonderful honour''. ''My instinctive reaction was I really didn't deserve it. I did have a self-deprecating moment of doubt that I was worthy. But I'm very happy to accept it and I do feel quite proud.''
He said he owed the honour to the contribution of others.
''It's a reflection of the support and the work of so many people that a politician or a head of a government has the privilege of leading and being recognised for initiatives that really did involve a lot of people,'' he said.
''And the things that I've done and been recognised for I really couldn't do without the support of [my wife] Robyn. And all the personal staff I had over that period, and the public service.''
Mr Stanhope said he was ''quite chuffed'' the citation included his contribution to human rights and social justice, including the decriminalisation of abortion, Australia's first bill of rights and laws to prevent discrimination against same-sex couples.
He said he was often isolated in his views but would not be swayed from them including his opposition at the Council of Australian Governments in 2005 to counter-terrorism laws.
Mr Stanhope said all politicians compromised but ''on issues of principles I found it really hard to compromise, particularly around human rights''.
''I took a view I was prepared to pay the price politically if something that I held dearly as a principle wasn't supported by the electorate and I have to say I was a little bit pig-headed about those issues,'' he said.
Mr Stanhope said he and Robyn were looking forward to returning to Canberra. He would not be drawn on speculation he might take on the chairmanship of Actew Water or ActewAGL.
