If Opposition Leader Tony Abbott doesn't back reforms to stamp out rorts in the 457 visa scheme then he's opposing a fair go for Australian workers, Immigration Minister Brendan O'Connor says.
The minister's comments come in the midst of a stoush between Mr Abbott and Prime Minister Julia Gillard who have accused each other of stoking community concerns about immigration.
Mr Abbott says the prime minister's crackdown on the government's 457 temporary foreign worker visa program is demonising applicants and dividing Australians.
But Ms Gillard says Mr Abbott's words ring hollow when he's been raising fear over asylum seeker boat arrivals, while his immigration spokesman Scott Morrison has called for asylum seekers on bridging visas to be tracked.
Mr O'Connor told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday the government supported the proper use of 457 visas but was introducing reforms to prevent ongoing rorts of the scheme.
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He said that followed work by the Ministerial Council on Skilled Migration showing it was necessary to impose more safeguards to ensure Australian workers are not discriminated against.
"If you seek to dress up a job and pretend it's skilled to bring somebody in from overseas then have them work in a semi-skilled or unskilled job, that is abuse of the process."
Mr O'Connor said attempts to bring in family members under the scheme was also an abuse of the process.
"I say this to the leader of the opposition, if you do not support the reforms, you support the rorts, and if you support the rorts you do not support Australian workers."
