The business lobby and nanny agencies have seized on the controversy surrounding Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and the au pair detention saga to bolster their case for establishing a special visa category.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and au pair agencies have been lobbying for a new visa class for many years.
The visa status of au pairs was in the spotlight last week, following revelations Mr Dutton used his ministerial discretion powers to grant visas on public interest grounds to two young women in immigration detention.
In the first case, an au pair whose visa was cancelled at Brisbane's international airport in June 2015 was able to make a phone call and within a couple of hours Mr Dutton approved a new visa.
In the second case in November the same year, Mr Dutton defied written warnings from his department that granting a visitors visa to the second au pair was of "high risk" because she had been previously counselled about work restrictions.
Mr Dutton insists he doesn't know the two individuals involved and that they didn't work for his family, but said it would have been inappropriate for them to be deported.
The minister's office still refuses to answer specific questions about the identity of the au pairs' employers.
Cultural Au Pair Association president Wendi Aylward said the cases highlighted confusion with the status quo and a need for a special visa category.
"We don't want au pairs coming in on the wrong visa. We don't want families not understanding how this type of program works. We don't want the experience to not be a good one," she told AAP.
"Our discussions with the government so far have been positive ones."
Assistant Home Affairs Minister Alex Hawke last year flagged the government was considering proposals to allow au pairs to stay in Australia for up to two years and be paid a minimum wage or pocket money on top of food and board.
Ms Aylward said there were increasing numbers of Australian families looking for flexible childcare options and an insufficient number of au pairs to meet demand.
Au pairs are able to come to Australia on working holiday visas, but that category only applies to a limited number of countries.
