Greens Deputy Leader and workplace spokesperson, Adam Bandt MP, has welcomed the tabling of a Senate Inquiry into section 457 visas and the Greens' bill to regulate Enterprise Migration Agreements.

While the Labor majority stopped short of calling for protections to be enshrined in law, the report accepted the principles underlying the bill and recommended much stronger government action on 457s and EMAs, including advertising jobs locally before approving EMAs.

Greens Deputy Leader and workplace relations spokesperson Adam Bandt says the PM's promise on s457 visas rings hollow, given the failure of the government to require jobs to be advertised locally first.

Allowing the big miners to use secret Enterprise Migration Agreements also showed the Labor government wasn't really serious about putting locals first, Mr Bandt said.

Greens Deputy Leader and workplace relations spokesperson Adam Bandt says the government's deal with Gina Rinehart has revealed the threat to local jobs from Enterprise Migration Agreements (EMA).

Mr Bandt says the Greens will give notice of legislation today to regulate EMAs and ensure that the government and employers are required to put local jobs first.