Peter Dutton says it was a mistake bringing Lebanese refugees to Australia

Immigration minister Peter Dutton has come under attack form Labor after telling parliament that a majority of people charged with terrorist-related offences are second and third generation Lebanese-Muslim Australians.

Peter Dutton has ignited debate in parliament after saying mistakes were made bringing Lebanese refugees to Australia in the 1970s. Source: AAP

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has said the government of Malcolm Fraser made a mistake in bringing Lebanese refugees to Australia in the 1970s, saying they formed a majority of those recently travelling overseas as foreign fighters.

"The advice I have is that out of the last 33 people who have been charged with terrorist-related offences in this country, 22 of those people are from second and third generation Lebanese-Muslim background," he said in parliament after being pressed on the issue during Question Time.

Mr Dutton said last week that many foreign fighters getting involved in conflict zones were the children or grandchildren of migrants that came during the 1970s but did not say what country he was referring to.

Labor MP Tim Watts on social media labelled the comments "extraordinary".

"The Minister for Immigration seems to think that criminal behaviour by 'second and third generation migrants' (AKA 'Australians', AKA the grandchildren of migrants) is attributable to immigration policy," he said on Facebook.