THE federal government's crackdown on skilled migration visas appears to be on shaky ground after independent MP Rob Oakeshott said he won't support the legislation.
During heated debate on the bill in parliament on Thursday, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott explosively likened Prime Minister Julia Gillard to anti-immigrant One Nation founder and one-time MP Pauline Hanson.
Mr Abbott said Labor's legislation was divisive and accused Ms Gillard of using it for base political purposes.
"We saw a member of this parliament set out to make perfectly decent Australians feel like strangers in their own country," he told the lower house.
"It's an embarrassment."
Labor claims there's been widespread rorting of the 457 skilled worker visa scheme at the expense of Australian jobs.
Its legislation requires employers to conduct labour market testing and only hire foreign workers if no Australian worker is available.
Mr Abbott said the government should be tackling the problem of asylum seeker boat arrivals.
"Instead, they have decided to raise a false problem," he said.
"They can't get tough on illegal arrivals by boat, so they have decided to get tough on legal arrivals by plane."
Mr Oakeshott won't support the legislative changes, saying authorities should make full use of existing sanctions and penalties to crackdown on any abuses of the 457 visa system.
"We don't need new law. We need existing law to be acted upon," he told parliament.
The NSW MP also called for relevant agencies to show "backbone" in pursuing bosses suspected of breaching the system.
"Let's send the dogs onto those that are breaking the laws," he said.
However, fellow cross-bench MP Craig Thomson said he would support the legislation, while criticising the tone of the parliamentary debate.
"It's quite extraordinary that this parliament is at such a state that we see political points on both sides being made, rather than looking at what is the legislation, what are the real issues here and what are the solutions to it," he said.
"This is not ground-breaking legislation but it's important legislation."
The other key independent MPs - Andrew Wilkie and Bob Katter and Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt - are expect to vote in favour of the bill.
But the positions of NSW independent Tony Windsor and former Liberal Peter Slipper remain unclear.
Debate on the Migration Amendment (Temporary Sponsored Visas) Bill 2013 was adjourned until next week.
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