Border Force chief told to explain bungle

It's up to the Australian Border Force to figure out how it forced the cancellation of a visa spot check operation in Melbourne, a government minister says.

Border Force commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg said a staff member's clumsily worded press release was to blame for the cancellation of Operation Fortitude, after public ridicule and protest.

The release quoted Tasmania and Victoria regional commander Don Smith promising Border Force members would speak "with any individual we cross paths with" in the Melbourne CBD.

Assistant Education Minister Simon Birmingham told Sky News it was up to Mr Quaedvlieg to find out what went wrong.

"It's really now up to him to get to the bottom of how this mistake occurred within his agency," he said on Saturday.

"Clearly this was an erroneous statement, it was a misleading statement ... and it was a mistake on their part to issue a statement of this nature."

Opposition immigration spokesman Richard Marles asked why Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was not out explaining why Border Force planned to run random spot checks on Melbourne's streets.

"We need better than a minister who hides in bed with his doona pulled over his head," he told Nine Network.

Mr Dutton referred all inquiries about the operation on Friday to Victoria Police, who cancelled Operation Fortitude five hours after it was announced.