More than 70 people have gathered in Adelaide over fears the recently signed China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) will lead to lost job opportunities.

The meeting held on Tuesday night was the first of 23 to be held by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) in a challenge to Coalition MPs to debate the agreement.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) president Andrew Dettmer said unions were worried Australians could miss out on jobs under the provision.

This is largely because the ChAFTA agreement, signed in June, allows Chinese companies to bring in their own workforce for projects above $150 million and has no definitive requirement for jobs to be offered to local workers first.

"We say that that is wrong and that the Government needs to re-examine it and to enter into a dialogue with trade unions and community groups to ensure that Australian workers and their interests are protected under this agreement," Mr Dettmer said.

He said people were also concerned the agreement would allow for exploitative labour practices.

"We understand that many of the workers who would be permitted to come into Australia would not necessarily be from China, but overseas workers who do not necessarily have any work rights in Australia," Mr Dettmer said.

"And of course we say that's wrong, that if people work in Australia they should be entitled to Australian wages and conditions."

The question of whether ChAFTA did indeed threaten Australian jobs was subject to the ABC's Fact Check during August, which found the threat existed.

It found that while the agreement allowed the Immigration Department to decide that jobs should be offered to local workers ahead of overseas workers, there was no actual requirement in the agreement to force this to happen.

A department spokesperson said that overseas workers on big Chinese infrastructure projects would be given 457 visas.

According to the regulations for 457 visas, the jobs must first be advertised to local workers and the government spokesperson told Fact Check that requirement would still apply to Chinese-funded infrastructure projects.

He said the requirement for labour market testing was "clearly indicated" in the Immigration Department's project agreement program booklet for employers requesting a project labour agreement.

"But there is the possibility that there may be unique and exceptional circumstances where labour market testing may be waived," he said.

Fact Check found that the wording of a memorandum of understanding attached to the ChAFTA did not state that labour market testing must occur before visas are granted, nor that they will be 457 visas.

Mr Dettmer said another 22 meetings would take place across the country up until the middle of November.

He said Liberal and National MPs around the country had either declined or ignored invitations to take part, including the local Federal Member for Hindmarsh Matt Williams.