Q amp; A: Shorten struggles to say how Labor would handle asylum seekers

Bill Shorten maintains Labor would have won any election called in the last two years, despite questions over his personal popularity. But the opposition leader, appearing on the ABC’s Q amp; A, struggled to answer how a government he led would handle asylum seekers.

Shorten’s right faction has been facing increasing pressure from members on the left to shift Labor’s asylum seeker policy to a commitment to end indefinite detention, and bring those detained in offshore detention centres to Australia, while permanent resettling options are found.

Appearing as the solo panelist on the program, at a special taping in Elizabeth, a northern Adelaide suburb devastated by the closure of the Holden manufacturing plant last year, Shorten struggled to answer an audience member’s question on whether he would end indefinite detention.

• Sign up to receive the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning “What we are not going to do is have the boats start again and see hundreds of people drown at sea,” he said.

“I think it is legitimate for people to want to come to this country. I support a refugee intake. I don’t [think] it is bad for a person to want to come to this country.

“I think it is a very brave thing for someone to up sticks and leave their own country and where they come from. But what I can’t ignore is that when we have a policy that sees the people smugglers come across from Indonesia and 1,200 people drown.

“I am not going to wash my hands of that and say I don’t care, it is just what happens to you here.

“But the second thing I am going to say is, I don’t believe the [tradeoff] of not having the people smugglers back in business is that you keep people in indefinite detention.

“I do not believe that … we should be using people on Manus and Nauru as political scoring points for a debate in Australia.”

Asked again if that meant he would end indefinite detention, Shorten said he would need to see what agreements could be struck to resettle asylum seekers.

“I do not believe we need to have indefinite detention. I do not believe that is necessary,” he said.

“I don’t have the regional resettlement agreements resolved. I do think the government should take the deal with New Zealand ... I do not believe that indefinite detention should be the case, I believe a Labor government can actually make sure that we don’t have to have people on Manus and Nauru, because we will prioritise resettling people.”

Labor has consistently led the Coalition in the polls, although Shorten’s personal popularity as alternate prime minister has never kept pace with the opposition’s domination of the polls, the Labor leader lagging behind Malcolm Turnbull as preferred leader.

The latest Guardian Essential poll showed Shorten’s popularity drop four points to 33%, while the most recent Newspoll had Shorten’s popularity slipping two points to 30%, giving him the longest-running negative satisfaction for an opposition leader in Newspoll’s history.

But Shorten said his focus was on the party.

“As for the government’s ‘kill Bill’ strategy – I think it speaks volumes, doesn’t it. They say to be prime minister of Australia you have to have a thick skin. Well, the opposition leader’s job is good training for it. I’ll be ready for that,” he said.

“Personal popularity is one challenge, but I tell you what is important – the job I have had since I was opposition leader. 1: unite the Labor party – we are doing a bit better than we used to do; 2: be a strong opposition. Ask the banks if they find us a strong opposition. Ask Tony Abbott – apparently we were so bad at our job, they had to get rid of him. Ask Mr Turnbull if we are strong opposition. We came very close at the last election. A strong opposition, a united team. I’ve got to say, my team is better than his team.

“I know where I started so it has been an up and down ride. But I tell you what the polls also tell me ... that any Saturday for the last two years, we would have won the election. Of course, obviously there hasn’t been an election held, so I take it all with a grain of salt.”

Shorten reiterated Labor policy to invest in renewable energy, but said he would not be committing a Labor government to a coal-free future. He also rejected buying back national assets, including re-nationalising the electricity sector, and instead said he would focus on market certainty.

“I genuinely thought when Malcolm Turnbull took over, at least the climate change debate would end,” he said.

“It actually got worse.

“The best way to put downward pressure on power prices is to make a very clear policy that you back renewable energy, and in doing that you provide the investment certainty, and then we’ll get the competition and get the Australian knowhow, and we’ll get the jobs and the climate change benefits we want.”

The prime minister has also been invited to take part in a solo Q amp; A episode.