Afghani refugees 'should be freed' after takeover, says Warrnambool minister

Reverend Geoff Barker, from the Warrnambool Uniting Church, said the country's leaders needed to show compassion to people who had fled from the war-torn country.

Reverend Barker expressed his sympathy to Afghans after the Taliban seized control of Kabul.

"It's terribly sad for the people of Afghanistan," Reverend Barker said.

"They will be terrible leaders, especially for women."

Reverend Barker said the federal government should allow asylum seekers to live in the community.

"Let them into the community here," he said.

"They're never going to be able to go back."

Reverend Barker urged the government to show mercy.

"It's just cruel, keeping them in detention," he said.

"You can see how desperate their situation was."

Reverend Barker said he was disappointed the federal government hadn't taken measures to relocate the remaining locally engaged employees and their families who had supported Australian troops in recent months.

Mr Morrison said the government has been in close consultation with its allies and security partners as it always has been since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001.

The final Australian troops left Afghanistan on May 28 and some 400 locally engaged employees and their families have already been resettled in Australia since April this year.

Since 2013, Australia has granted visas to 1800 people who worked with its forces out of Afghanistan. "This has been a program which we have been moving on very urgently, very quickly, it is a very complex exercise and we have been continuing to keep our pace on these processes," Mr Morrison said.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the government should have acted quicker.

"We have a moral obligation to support them and get them here to Australia to safety. There is no question that they remain in great danger," he told reporters in Canberra.