Treat money transfers as aid: Liberal MP

The billions of dollars sent home by guest workers in Australia should be considered foreign aid, a Liberal MP has told federal parliament.

"This is money generated by the Australian economy that gets transferred to less fortunate economies than ourselves to help people," Craig Kelly said after tabling a report into financial related crime on Monday.

Mr Kelly noted the $US16 billion sent to poorer countries through remittance services in 2014 was more than four times the government's foreign aid.