Prime Minister Tony Abbott is increasingly pressured to adopt a special humanitarian way to increase the Syrian refugee intake in the face of Europe’s escalating refugee crisis.

On Monday, Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg suggested if Australia could shelter Syrian refugees temporarily in the same way the former Howard government's offered to Kosovar refugees in 1999. But those Syrian refugees allowed, wouldn’t have the permission to seek for permanent asylum in Australia.

"There is a very good case here for a specific response to what we're seeing from those tragic pictures in Europe," he told Sky News. He also mentioned about the 4,000 refugees that were housed in Australia. “He did provide a humanitarian response and shelter for people who were fleeing persecution,” he added.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has also come forward with the idea of considering former PM John Howard’s policy as a possible response to the worst refugee crisis since World War II. “It is an international crisis and Australia will play its part,” she said.

Bishop has promised to raise the point in front of her other counterparts and discuss extensively if it would work out under the present circumstances. “We will certainly take advice on that," she added.

The suggestion came just hours after Mr Abbott declared to house more Syrian refugees but overall increase in the numbers of refugee intake would remain same for the year. In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s office, he said that an increase in the refugee intake from 13,750 per annum to 18,750 per annum would be implemented by 2018/19.

"Because we've stopped the boats we are in a position to increase the overall intake of refugees and humanitarian entrants," Mr Abbott quoted by ABC as saying.

In an early morning interview with ABC in Canberra, he said Australia, which is the UNHCR’s leading nation for the permanent resettlement of refugees, would house Syrian refugees from camps and “family groups of persecuted minorities.”

"What I think people want to see is a generous response to the crisis in Syria and that's exactly what this government has done and will continue [to do],” he added.

NSW Premier Mike Baird praised the federal government’s commitment to the growing number of refugees fleeing conflicts in Syria and Iraq. "I am deeply encouraged by the federal coalition government's commitment to increase our humanitarian intake over the coming years," he posted on Facebook

At the same time, Labor has been pushing the prime minister to increase the quota immediately but hasn’t suggested a figure yet. Labor, during one of its national conferences, has vouched to double the refugee intake quota within a decade if they won the election.

Similarly, Greens has also called upon the government to build extra places for refugees from Syria. It has also asked the government to consider an emergency intake of 20,000 extra refugees and AU$150 million for the UNHCR.

Meanwhile, Frontbencher Mark Butler criticised cuts to Australia's funding for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Shadow Defence Minister Stephen Conroy believes it's time Coalition realises to do more for those refugees to alleviate tragedy.

"When you look at the scale of the humanitarian disaster that's taking place, arising out of the challenges in Syria, to say that we're not going to be increasing our intake is not stepping up," Conroy told ABC's Radio National .

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is in Geneva to get significant insights from the United Nations in the wake of assisting the crisis. Mr Abbott has declined to comment on this initiative but has promised to respond generously by adopting the best possible ways to mitigate refugee crisis.

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