THE Coalition's citizenship spokeswoman Teresa Gambaro has apologised for comments about immigrant hygiene and the need to teach them how to form queues.

After a furious reaction erupted online Ms Gambaro issued an apology this afternoon saying her comments did not reflect coalition policy and were taken out of context.



"As someone who has come from a migrant family herself, I am proud of the contribution that generations of migrants have made to Australia and I would not want my reported comments, however inaccurate, to leave the impression that this contribution is not recognised," the statement said.



"People should be properly supported when they come to Australia as migrants.



"I regret any offence that may have been taken and unreservedly apologise."

The furore erupted this morning after Ms Gambaro said in an interview that migrants should be taught about the importance of wearing deodorant and waiting in queues without pushing.

Within hours Ms Gambaro's Wikipedia entry had been edited by an unknown person who changed her profession to "Armpit Sniffer" and her religion to "Orderly Queuing".

Cultural awareness training should also be given by employers bringing skilled migrants into Australia under the 457 visa program, Ms Gambaro told The Australian (subscriber link).



In an interview with the newspaper, Ms Gambaro said she was concerned about new migrants on work visas not integrating into the community because Australia had failed to teach them about cultural issues related to health, hygiene and lifestyle.



"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," she said.



Wearing deodorant and waiting in line politely were about "teaching what are norms in Australia".

The MP for Brisbane said while her comments may upset people, migrants also needed to be educated about their rights and how to improve their chances of getting work.

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