Call for more heavy lifting on refugees

Australia should reverse its "shamefully inadequate" response to the global refugee crisis by accepting 10,000 Syrians, Amnesty International says.

The human rights group has released its 2014 annual report which gives Australia poor marks for its hardline asylum-seeker policies, children in detention and high indigenous incarceration rate.

Amnesty International spokeswoman Claire Mallinson said Australia had the capacity to do more to help the millions fleeing violence in Syria and Afghanistan.

"To date Australia's response to the refugee crisis has been shamefully inadequate," she said.

There was capacity to provide protection to at least 10,000 Syrian refugees over three years, she said.

The current 1500 a year from within the current humanitarian quota of 13,750 was miserly, Ms Mallinson said.

The total number of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people topped more than 50 million in 2013 for the first time since World War II.