"The biggest thing for us right now is to put a sharp focus on the safety issues around the program and the fact that the Coalition has had more than enough warning that there are elements of this that are basically unsafe.

"We're just as interested in getting young people into work as they are, we don't want people sitting on their hands and neither do they, but under the current program, they're moving nowhere fast."

Among the concerns Labor cites around Work for the Dole are cases where participants have been exposed to asbestos, and a case in Toowoomba where an 18-year old participant was killed on a Work for the Dole project.

Mr Husic said the government should concentrate on fixing the safety problems and then work out if the program as a whole could be improved or if it should be replaced.

Mr Husic is building support within the opposition to replace it with a program that is "a lot more focused" on building up skills among the jobless that are actually needed in the 21st century economy.

But the Turnbull government remains committed to the program describing it as highly effective for some and consistent with its view that the best form of welfare is a job.