Greens MP and workplace relations spokesperson Adam Bandt says the nurses dispute could be resolved if the Gillard government backs his Fairer Bargaining Bill to be introduced into Parliament on Monday.

Mr Bandt says that workers in essential services, like nurses, are unfairly disadvantaged because their rights to take industrial action are limited and Fair Work Australia is barred from arbitrating on key issues such as nurse/patient ratios.

The Greens' Fair Work (Job Security and Fairer Bargaining) Amendment Bill will also limit the ability of powerful employers, such as Qantas, ability using lockouts as a legal tactic and require Fair Work to consider job security as well as productivity in making decisions.

"If my bill passes, the Baillieu government's attack on nurse/patient ratios will be stopped dead in its tracks and Fair Work Australia could resolve the issue."

"As an industrial lawyer for over a decade, you can spot when a powerful employer is stringing out negotiations because they think they'll get a better outcome before a legally hamstrung Fair Work Australia. That's exactly what the Baillieu government is doing."

"Employers like the Victorian Government have a double advantage under the Fair Work Act. First, people like nurses have fewer rights to take industrial action because they work in an essential service. Second, if the dispute ends up in arbitration, legal barriers mean the tribunal will only deal with some issues and won't impose outcomes like nurse/patient ratios."

"As a result, the Government is dragging its feet in the negotiations, hoping to somehow force the dispute to arbitration. Nurses are stuck in an impossible Catch 22, where if they take industrial action nurse/patient ratios disappear, but if they don't take industrial action, the dispute doesn't get resolved."

"We now have the unacceptable situation where the dispute is dragging on, nurses are in such despair that they're considering resigning, and yet the negotiations are going nowhere. This dispute needs to be fixed."

"Minister Shorten should not wait until the Fair Work Review finishes. Labor could help resolve the dispute preserve nurse/patient ratios tomorrow if they back my bill."

Greens MP and industry and employment spokesperson Adam Bandt has said Qantas decision to cut jobs was made possible by Australia's unfair industrial relations laws. Qantas used an industrial atom bomb last year to avoid bargaining over job security by maintenance workers, Mr Bandt said.

Mr Bandt said his bill to amend the Fair Work Act would make job security an object of the Fair Work Act and limit employers' ability to use lockouts as a legal tactic.

"Qantas is continuing its off-shoring plan", Mr Bandt said.

"Qantas was only able to avoid job security claims from its workforce by using the industrial atom bomb of grounding its airlines last year."

"My bill will put job security at the heart of the Fair Work Act and prevent employers from using Qantas-style lockouts as an industrial tactic."

Mr Bandt's Fair Work Amendment (Job Security and Fairer Bargaining) Bill 2012 will be introduced to Parliament on February 27.

Greens' banking spokesperson Adam Bandt called on the Treasurer to hold a finance sector job summit in the wake of ANZ's announcement today to cut a thousand jobs.

Mr Bandt also called on Treasurer Swan to act on Lenders Mortgage Insurance after he acknowledged that it was a barrier to competition. He called on the Treasurer to back the Green's bill allowing insurance to be refunded when customers switch banks.

"A thousand jobs in finance should be just as important as a thousand jobs in manufacturing," Mr Bandt said.

"The banks are out of control, taking public support when times are tough and making huge profits then slashing their workforce."

"The Treasurer should hold a finance sector summit, get the banks around a table and work out a plan to ensure that workers aren't being sacrificed for the sake of excessive profits."

"If the Treasurer wants to do something about Lenders Mortgage Insurance he should back my banking mobility bill," Mr Bandt said.

"Making Lenders Mortgage Insurance refundable will allow bank customers to look for a better deal and improve banking competition."

"Mr Swan adopted our policy on exit fees. I hope he does the same on Lenders Mortgage Insurance."

Greens MP and industry spokesperson, Adam Bandt, says future assistance to the car industry needs to drive innovation and a shift to electric vehicles if an Australian car industry is to survive.

Minister Carr and car companies can't just blame the high dollar for job cuts. They must take responsibility for their failure to adapt to the new market.

"The car industry needs to go green if it is to survive," Mr Bandt said.

"The government needs to play a more active role in driving innovation and require the industry to change. Instead, it is going in the other direction. The government has given $100 million to Toyota for little change and no protection to workers. Job security should be a key criterion for any future funds."

"Ultimately, we need to shift to an industry focused on electric mobility. That is where the world is heading and we need to get ahead of the game."

"We opposed the scrapping of the Green Car Innovation Fund because though it had problems, it was a step in the right direction. As we move to mandatory vehicle fuel efficiency standards, government needs to put something in place of the Green Car fund."

"A start would be an initial investment of at least $75 million in an Electric Vehicle fund, which would pay for electric vehicle development and trials, as well as recharging infrastructure."