Julia Gillard has promised no Australian worker will miss out on a job as a result of the Federal Government's decision to allow mining magnate Gina Rinehart to import more than 1700 workers for an iron ore project in Western Australia.

"Companies won't be able to bring in foreign workers if there is an Australian ready, able and willing to do the work on the jobs board," the Prime Minister said in Melbourne this afternoon.

‘‘We will have a jobs board which will be a way for Aussies to know what’s happening in the resources sector and what the jobs are,’’ Ms Gillard said.

"There will be some need for foreign labour but the amazing size of what’s happening in our resources sector means that there won’t be enough Australians available to fill all of the jobs that are necessary, but Australians will always come first in getting these job opportunities.’’

She refused to comment on speculation that she was not consulted about the deal with Ms Rinehart.

‘‘I don’t on any given day comment on internal government processes,’’ Ms Gillard said.

The announcement came after the Minister for Immigration, Chris Bowen, announced yesterday the government program to allow enterprise migration agreements would help mining companies find enough workers for their developments.

Labor Senator and former union boss Doug Cameron said earlier this morning he was "gobsmacked" by yesterday's announcement.

"We've got workers being marched off the job in Kurri Kurri, marched off the job by Qantas in Melbourne and Chinese workers marching in Western Australia," Senator Cameron said.

"I think the politics of this is terrible and I just think we need to have a good look at what's going on."

Unions are demanding an explanation from Ms Gillard about why the decision was made.

But the Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills, Chris Evans, said foreign workers were always needed to make up for a lack of skilled Australian workers.

"At any time there are 100,000 foreign workers to help manage demand," Senator Evans, a West Australian, said.

"We're not going to be able to fill all these jobs locally."

Opposition leader Tony Abbott said: "This is a divided and dysfunctional government and any prime minister who says that she doesn't know what's happening inside her own government is a prime minister who frankly is not up to the job."

The Prime Minister and the Minister for Workplace Relations, Bill Shorten, also announced a parliamentary inquiry into workplace bullying.

The inquiry will look at the prevalence of workplace bullying, support for victims and examine how national laws could be introduced to deal with the problem.

No Aussie Job Will Go Overseas, Insists Gillard