A federal government measure to boost the powers of immigration detention centre guards has passed parliament's lower house, but may face problems in the Senate.
Labor says it will only back the move if the government accepts its amendments, which it refused to do during debate on Wednesday.
The Greens oppose it, with MP Adam Bandt saying the government was giving poorly-trained private sector guards "a licence to kill".
Government legislation allows an "authorised officer" - meaning one who has had some training - to use reasonable force to protect people or to maintain good order in a detention centre.
Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles said Labor agreed with the general thrust because the rights of detention centre officers were undefined, unregulated and subject only to the common law.
But the proposed changes gave officers powers that were too broad and subjective and it would only support the measure if the government accepted major amendments.
These include inserting objective tests, taking the power to investigate complaints away from departmental bureaucrats and narrowing the immunity from prosecution being granted to both guards and the Commonwealth.
The government used its numbers to defeat the amendments, which Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said were a "Labor-Green stunt".
He said the changes arose from recommendations of an inquiry set up by Labor in government following detention centre riots in 2011.
The government wouldn't tolerate assaults or property damage at detention centres, he said.
Mr Dutton denied the measure sanctioned lethal force, saying he was sorry for Mr Marles, who wanted to be sensible but had been taken over by Labor's left.
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