Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Jakarta hopes to bring historic people-smuggling legislation before parliament as soon as next year, with penalties of up to 10 years' jail for those convicted of the offence.

The Indonesian Government's ambition was conveyed to Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor and Australia Federal Police Commissioner Tony Negus in a meeting with Indonesian Justice Minister Patrialis Akbar in Jakarta today.

The proposed legislation was announced a year ago when Kevin Rudd flew to Indonesia to co-host the Bali Democracy forum with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

But the laws have been delayed by a full year of elections in Indonesia for both the parliament and the presidency, with Dr Yudhoyono only in recent weeks being able to outline his new legislative agenda.

Immigration issues are reasonably high on that wishlist, but the Australians have also been told there are other, more pressing, domestic concerns, including laws to fight corruption that have been under consideration for several years already.

Indonesia's parliament is notoriously slow to pass new laws, and the people-smuggling legislation is still only in the earliest of drafting stages.

"We know it's not an easy thing to do, we know it's challenging to enact such legislation, but we do welcome the intention of the government to look very much at improving the laws in this area, and we said as much yesterday," Mr O'Connor said at a private briefing for Australian journalists.

He described the proposed sanctions of up to 10 years' jail for people-smuggling offences as "a very welcome sign".

"They mentioned between five and 10 years, which I think is a really significant thing, specifically in relation to people-smuggling offences," Mr O'Connor said.

Mr Negus said a meeting planned for today with his opposite number, Indonesian Police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri, would canvass the effectiveness of an Australian-backed anti-people smuggling police "flying squad".

The squad, of 145 Indonesian police investigators based in 12 key locations across the archipelago, has been operating for three months, with Australian training and equipment part of the deal.

"Whilst of course with any new team it's taken them a little while to get their structure and get their people in place, they're being very effective, and we're seeing an increase in the number of arrests of people smugglers and those involved in the people-smuggling game," Mr Negus said.

"That's as a direct result of the Indonesians setting up the... strike teams."

Mr Negus said the teams were primarily a detective unit, so that "they'll play a role in helping apprehend and round up asylum-seekers, but their primary role is to gather evidence and prosecute people-smugglers".

He also admitted Indonesia faced a major problem with captured would-be asylum-seekers escaping detention and making their way to Australia.

"It's frustrating for the local police because they actually collect these people, put them into processing and then all of a sudden find them again having to be either rounded up (again) or on a boat to Australia," Mr Negus said.

Mr Negus and Mr O'Connor were in Indonesia to open a four-day people-smuggling conference co-hosted by the AFP at a regional police training centre in Central Java.

Mr O'Connor welcomed the participation of 17 national delegations in the conference, including from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan – two of the key source countries for people-smuggling activities – as well as Malaysia, one of the key transit countries.