Greens attack shutdown of refugee unit International law and refugee experts took a dim view of the review, saying any change to the refugee convention was highly improbable. The unit within the Refugee Review Tribunal that provided advice on conditions in countries that asylum seekers had fled has been shut down - a move the Greens say is aimed at making it harder for refugee claims to succeed. All staff in the tribunal who worked on compiling country information for those considering appeals were transferred on July 1 to the Immigration Department, where they will work in a single consolidated unit. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the move is designed to weaken the independence of the tribunal and result in more claims being rejected. "This decision undermines the independence of the tribunal, forcing it to rely on politically manipulated advice from Bob Carr's Department of Foreign Affairs," Senator Hanson-Young said. The move coincides with a direction to tribunal members to consider separate country assessments that are being prepared by the department of Senator Carr, who claims recent arrivals are "economic migrants" and not refugees. It also comes as the Rudd government prepares to announce a new policy to stem the record flow of asylum-seeker boats, including a review of the effectiveness of the refugee convention. However, international law and refugee experts took a dim view of the review, saying any change to the refugee convention was highly improbable. "The government is dreaming if it thinks that other countries will either amend the convention or add another protocol to it," said Ben Saul, a law professor at the University of Sydney. Millions of refugees are living in camps all around the world. Australia is receiving a small number by world standards. Most countries would think it was laughable. William Maley, a migration expert and leading authority on Afghanistan at the Australian National University, sounded a similar warning, saying any change would need to be put to the United Nations General Assembly. "Australia would be pitching changes into an assembly in which there is a structural majority of developing countries that are currently carrying by far the bulk of the refugee burden in the world," he said. A refugee tribunal spokesman confirmed all staff within the tribunal who provided country information were transferred to the Immigration Department where they would continue to work on country information. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has attracted sharp criticism for declaring that refugees are not the world's problem, but Australia's problem. Responding to Kevin Rudd's suggestion that Australia needed to contribute to global action, Mr Abbott said: "Mr Rudd is always trying to internationalise problems and that's an excuse for inaction here in Australia. I say to Mr Rudd: stop making excuses, stop trying to say this is the world's problem. It's not, it's our problem. We need to take the appropriate action in this country, by this country, for this country, to stop the boats and we need to do it now.