The federal government has accused the opposition of trying to bring back the White Australia immigration policy by banning foreign apprenticeship visas.
The Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone says the opposition leader Kim Beazley is showing racial prejudice by planning to abolish the trade skilled training visas if he wins the next election.
But Mr Beazley says the program is taking jobs from Australians and giving them to foreigners.
"We must never have a situation develop as we're having it develop now where kids in Australia are battering at the doors, trying to get into TAFE, but can't get there, trying to get apprenticeships, but can't get there and are then having their conditions undermined by the importation of foreign apprentices. That's got to go".