The Western Australian Chamber of Minerals and Energy says a new Commonwealth migration program will help ease a labour shortage that is holding the industry back.

The company which operated Australia's last riverboat postman north of Sydney has been all but wound up, after the business went into liquidation earlier this year.
The iconic Hawkesbury River ferry service at Brooklyn provided a postal and general delivery service to residents along the banks of the river.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has promised to put Australian jobs first despite yesterday's decision to bring in more than 1,700 foreigners to work on mining magnate Gina Rinehart's $9 billion project in Western Australia.

It was revealed earlier that Ms Gillard was not informed of the decision until she returned to Australia from the United States on Wednesday.

But at a press conference this afternoon, Ms Gillard refused to be drawn on the issue of "internal government processes" and instead moved to assure Australians that Labor will put local jobs first.