The sub-committee was set up after immigration minister Chris Bowen announced Australia's first enterprise migration agreement (EMA), which allows Gina Rinehart's $6.5 billion Roy Hill project in WA's Pilbara region to hire workers from overseas.
The Opposition says the process could cause unnecessary project delays.
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Defence Minister Stephen Smith does not believe that will happen.
"I don't think so," he told ABC Television's Insiders program on Sunday.
He maintained overseas workers would be hired only after every attempt to source local workers had been exhausted.
"There will be some big minerals resources or petroleum resources projects where the skill set is simply not available in Australia," he said.
