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AAP
Politics
Andrew Brown

IR laws will sacrifice Australians: Dutton

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has lashed out at proposed workplace reforms, saying the laws would take industrial relations backwards and sacrifice Australians at the altar of unionism.

As debate continues in the House of Representatives, Mr Dutton said the reforms represented the most radical change to the country's industrial relations system in decades.

The government is trying to pass the reforms, which would enable multi-employer bargaining and better protect employees in female-dominated industries, by the end of the year.

It argues the changes are needed to improve wages at a time of stubbornly high inflation.

A vote is expected to be held in the lower house on the proposed laws by Thursday, before debate will move to the Senate.

The opposition has accused the government of trying to stifle debate on the bill, criticising the rushed timeframe.

Mr Dutton said the proposed laws would have far-reaching changes which would affect large numbers of businesses.

"The government said it would support workers and that it would work to support all Australians - instead, it will sacrifice them at the altar of unionism," he told parliament on Tuesday.

"In its current form, it will impose the most radical changes on Australia's industrial relations system in decades, changes which will complicate the system, create conflict in workplaces and cause delays."

Multiple amendments are expected to be debated on the laws following government talks with unions and businesses, which are set to include employers needing a majority of support from employees for a single interest bargaining authorisation.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke has flagged even more changes to the laws could be put forward following the release of a Senate report on the bill, due to be handed down later this month.

Mr Dutton said the proposed changes would put businesses at greater financial risk.

"If you ever wanted to see what the Monopoly board game looks like in real life, Australian businesses will experience it under multi-employer bargaining," he said.

Negotiations are still ongoing with crossbench members of the upper house, with independent David Pocock saying he has yet to make up his mind on supporting the bill.

"I'm not here to be a rubber stamp, I'm here to work constructively and to ensure that we get this right and to ensure that we have enough time to get this legislation right," he told reporters in Canberra.

The independent senator said he had concerns the government was trying to race the bill through parliament when votes on other critical legislation, such as a national integrity commission and restoring territory rights, were due to be held by year's end.

"I put to the senate that we need to consider adding more (sitting) days, but that's up to the government, they set the schedule," he said.

Labor will need the Greens plus one crossbench senator to pass the bill.

Independent MP Zali Steggall accused the government of trying to shut down debate in the lower house to speed up the vote on the workplace laws.

"We needed to restore integrity to this institution - I would strongly say this is not how we go about it," she told parliament.

Mr Burke said a quick passage of the bill was essential in order to lift wages.

"We need to take action in legislation and action in the parliament to be able to close the gender pay gap," he said.

"The current bargaining system will not deliver pay equity, and the rules need to be changed."

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