Immigration is nation building: PM

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has defended the immigration program from Tony Abbott's calls to scale it back, saying it's a nation-building exercise.

Mr Abbott suggested scaling back immigration to help take the pressure off house prices.

"It is not a question of setting arbitrary targets, it's a question of getting the best and the brightest from the world that will meet the demands of our economy and help grow the economy," Mr Turnbull told 3AW radio on Friday.