Man charged after throwing shoes at Australian minister

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton caught one of the shoes thrown at him. Photo / Getty

A Queensland protester who threw his shoes at Immigration Minister Peter Dutton during a refugee welcoming festival says he has no regrets after being charged by police.

Mr Dutton was in Annerley on Sunday to attend Welcomefest - an event designed to acknowledge Australia's newest citizens from countries including Somalia, Myanmar and Congo.

The minister was just about to deliver a speech when David Sprigg, 33, stood up and yelled at Mr Dutton before throwing his shoes to protest the government's refugee policies.

Mr Dutton reportedly caught one of the shoes and brushed off the incident.

Mr Sprigg was charged with public nuisance and taken to the Brisbane watch-house.

"I think he should be ashamed for what his government is doing and how asylum seekers are being treated in detention centres," Mr Sprigg told AAP after walking free on Sunday afternoon.

"When they use language like 'queue jumpers' and 'illegal arrivals', I think they're really just turning the public against refugees."

Mr Sprigg accused Mr Dutton of hypocrisy over the government's policy of turning back asylum seeker boats.

"Here he is welcoming refugees, but his government isn't welcoming refugees at all - they're doing the absolute opposite," Mr Sprigg said.

He said he didn't regret his spur of the moment protest.

"The people in detention are just suffering so much and to be publicly shamed by having shoes thrown at you seems insignificant compared to how many refugees are locked up and mistreated every day."

Mr Sprigg will face court on June 30.

Mr Dutton's office has been contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, Tony Abbott has again refused to say whether or not people smugglers were paid to turn back asylum seeker boats.

"There is really only one thing to say here and that is we have stopped the boats, that's good for Australia, it's good for Indonesia and it's particularly good for all of those who want to see a better world," the prime minister told reporters in Canberra on Sunday.

Labor, the Greens and Indonesia are demanding an answer to the claims that smugglers were paid thousands of dollars to turn their boats back to Indonesia.