Opposition leader Bill Shorten has quietly changed his tune on a controversial visa checking crackdown, following public ridicule and protests in Melbourne.
The federal government cancelled Operation Fortitude five hours after it was announced on Friday and blamed a clumsy press release for the backlash.
When the operation was still going ahead, Mr Shorten told reporters in Perth Labor believed in targeting crime and hoped the "blitz" would protect Australian laws, ensure temporary workers weren't being exploited and make sure no-one was overstaying their visas.
Mr Shorten also said he was concerned about the crackdown being telegraphed to the media but didn't think it would damage Melbourne's international reputation.
But later in the day after hundreds of people protested in Melbourne's CBD, Mr Shorten told 6PR radio the whole thing was a bizarre disaster and questioned what an earth possessed Prime Minister Tony Abbott to do it.
"It's just not the done thing in Melbourne or any other part of Australia," Mr Shorten said.
"The idea that you're going to send out hundreds of uniformed people just randomly stopping people asking for their papers, that is just bizarre.
"The only bigger disaster would have been if they had gone through with it."
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