Department of Immigration figures show 6,765 people have arrived by boat in this year, topping the last record set in 2010, when 6,555 arrived.
The Federal Opposition's Michael Keenan says the figures show the Commonwealth's asylum seeker policies are not deterring people smugglers.
"We're actually having almost on average a boat arrive every single day," he said.
"Clearly that's completely unsustainable and in any functional government it would precipitate a change in policy. But the government in Canberra at the moment is so dysfunctional that they're just going to sit and let this situation deteriorate.
"This means that 2012 is now the worst year on record for people arriving illegally in Australia, the illegal arrivals that have happened today this year have eclipsed the illegal arrivals in any previous year, and of course we're only in July."
Two asylum seeker boats arrived in Australian waters in the space of less than 24 hours over the weekend.
One boat was intercepted off Western Australia's Kimberley Coast near Browse Island, while the second was detected near the Cocos Islands.
