An Australian politician on Tuesday defended controversial calls for new migrants to be taught to wear deodorant, saying her remarks about cultural awareness of hygiene had been blown out of proportion.

Teresa Gambaro, a conservative MP who speaks about citizenship issues for the opposition, sparked a public backlash for suggesting that immigrants coming to Australia on work visas should be taught about social norms.

Wearing deodorant and standing patiently in queues without pushing in were some of the issues she nominated as important.

"Without trying to be offensive we are talking about hygiene and what is an acceptable norm in this country when you are working closely with other co-workers," Gambaro told The Australian newspaper.

"Sometimes these things are not talked about because people find them offensive but if people are having difficulty getting a job, for instance, it may relate to their appearance and these things need to be taken into account."

The remarks were dismissed as "bizarre and silly" by Immigration Minister Chris Bowen, who said they "could have been expected in 1952 not in 2012".

But Gambaro said hygiene was "just one small part" of the proposed cultural awareness training she had been referring to, which would also cover issues like tenancy, consumer rights and immunisation.

"I was speaking about a whole host of things, of which certainly health, hygiene matters come into it," she told ABC radio.

"We want to have good settlement outcomes for (migrants) and life skills and cultural awareness (are) things that people need when they come to this country."

The government's Australian Multicultural Council said most people arriving on working visas were professionals in skilled occupations and called for some "awareness training" for the nation's politicians.

Pino Migliorino, head of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils, said the comments would make Australia "look like a joke" abroad and condemned Gambaro, who is of Italian heritage, for her stance.

"This is no longer the 1960s, temporary migrants are people coming from a university background. To say 'you smell' is ridiculous," he said.

Australia has been accused of racism in recent years following a string of violent attacks against Indian students and public unease about growing levels of Chinese investment in the nation's resources sector.