Senator uses poetry to mock Border Force

He is no bush poet, but Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm has channelled Banjo Patterson to express his feelings about Australia's Border Force.

"There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around," the senator began his four-verse poem to the upper house on Tuesday evening.

"That the cops from Border Force were on their way."

Senator Leyonhjelm put together the poem, which follows the structure of The Man From Snowy River, in response to the bungled Border Force operation known as Fortitude.

The senator pokes fun at plans to randomly check Melbourne residents for visa documents.

The federal government maintains it had no knowledge of the operation, would never condone such spot checks and blamed the controversy on a poorly worded news release.

But that did not stop Senator Leyonhjelm, who often broadcasts his strongly held view that governments should get out of people's lives, from taking a swipe at the "border farce" and the government.

"All the armed and muscled black shirts, led by their new czar," he went on.

"Were primed and ready for a fight.

"For the black shirts love to hunt where the brown and black boys are."

In verse two he accuses "Tony (Abbott), Scott (Morrison) and Peter (Dutton)" of being keen to lend a hand because "giving power to the black shirts warmed their souls".

"With weekly tales of freedoms to be banned," he said.

"It's the best way to pick up in the polls."

The opposition was not spared from his rhymes, with the Liberal Democrat accusing Labor leader Bill Shorten of obeying the "black shirts" because of concerns over foreign workers.

"Nothing like the statesman that we need," Senator Leyonhjelm said of Mr Shorten.

He concluded by predicting freedom is only safe until "next week's scheduled ban".