The greatest tribute the leaders of our nation could pay to Malcolm Fraser would be to abandon their bipartisan off-shore detention policy of asylum seekers.

Four months ago, the former prime minister savaged new laws that then-Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison was able to push through the senate. Laws too draconian even for the Labor party.

He lamented that the minister now had dictatorial, tyrannical powers and had destroyed “the rule of law as we know it”.

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His anger was fuelled by the tearing up of our obligations under human rights conventions. That we ditched our commitment not to turn back asylum seekers to countries they fled with a real fear of persecution.

Not one to mince words, Fraser warned that Australia would be known around the world as the most inhumane, the most uncaring and the most selfish of all wealthy countries.

Last month, Fraser rushed to the defence of Human Rights Commission President Gillian Triggs against the government’s charges that she was playing politics against it.

Triggs found Australia in breach of its obligations to children held in detention. Fraser suggested the government should resign rather than the respected lawyer.

Malcolm Fraser joined Sarah Hanson-Young at a public forum on asylum seeker policy in Adelaide in July 2013. Photo: AAP

The Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader in parliament paid tribute to Fraser the humanitarian. Tony Abbott noted his work to end apartheid in South Africa. Bill Shorten praised his compassion in offering refuge to “tens of thousands of Vietnamese”.

Neither man acknowledged his trenchant criticism of the use of Nauru and Manus Island.

How ironic, then, that on the very day of the former prime minister’s death the government released the findings of the Moss Review into allegations of rape and sexual abuse of women and children on Nauru.

The former PM was outraged by the government’s laws on asylum seekers. Photo: AAP

Philip Moss, a former integrity commissioner, was asked by the Immigration Department to investigate. Also under the microscope are allegations, leaked to The Daily Telegraph, that Save The Children staff had “fabricated” stories of abuse and “encouraged and coached self-harm”.

Moss found no evidence to support the claims. He outlined an appalling lack of natural justice in sacking 10 Save the Children workers and recommended the decision be reversed.

The Review offered more support to both Triggs and the United Nations rapporteur on torture. It found two specific allegations of rape, Nauruan guards trading marijuana for sex and suggested an under-reporting of sexual and other physical assault. Assault that included minors.

Eighteen months into the Abbott government’s reign and detainees are still in tents. Their privacy is virtually ignored. Women have to undress and shower within the purview of male guards. Guards who are poorly trained.

Veteran Liberal Russell Broadbent, whose criticism of the Howard government’s refugee policies cost him politically, has no doubt what Malcolm Fraser would do.

“Close Manus and Nauru. Bring all the asylum seekers on shore. And seek a regional solution. That would involve taking a greater number of refugees languishing in Indonesia,” he says.

And tell the Australian people this compassion is in the national interest and not a threat. It would mean stop playing the most vulnerable for political advantage.

It worked with 200,000 Vietnamese “with the right will”.

Broadbent says it could work again.

Paul Bongiorno AM is a veteran of the Canberra Press Gallery, with 40 years’ experience covering Australian politics. He is Contributing Editor for Network Ten, appears on Radio National Breakfast and writes a weekly column on national affairs for The New Daily. He tweets at @PaulBongiorno