A slate of changes to workplace laws have been split so less contentious parts can pass immediately while the government and opposition go head to head over the rest.
The omnibus legislation will close loopholes that allow companies to pay labour hire workers less, add protection for gig economy workers and allow for casuals to transition into permanent work - to which are opposed by the coalition.
But senators on all sides agree on provisions that would make it easier for frontline workers to access claims for post-traumatic stress disorder and improve protections for employees experiencing domestic violence.
Senate crossbenchers Jacqui Lambie and David Pocock have put forward their own bills with the non-contentious parts of Labor's laws.
Their bills would bring silica dust regulation in line with measures for asbestos to better protect those at risk from developing silicosis.
A fourth element would also protect employees when businesses become insolvent.
The private bills - which the coalition has indicated they would support - wedges Labor, who support the measures but are staunchly against splitting its own bill.
Employment Minister Tony Burke has pushed back against the split, saying any delays to the other provisions would hold up protections and fair pay for workers.
The Greens have not revealed their position, with Senator Sarah Hanson-Young saying the party would comb through the bills.
But the minor party would push to help boost worker wages and conditions against businesses who "screw their workers for more and more".
"We will consider what's the best way forward and what is the best way of getting a good outcome for Australian workers to make sure we close all those loopholes," she said.
Voting to support workers with PTSD and suffering from domestic violence shouldn't be contentious and needed to be passed before the broader bill is debated next year, Senator Lambie said.
"We would like these few really important things removed from the bill, that really assist people out there that are doing it tough'," Senator Lambie told ABC TV on Monday.
While the sweeping changes needed an adequate amount of time to be scrutinised, the added protections could be passed now, Senator Pocock said.
"This legislation is economy wide and so that creates issues and potential unintended consequences," he told ABC radio.
The broader suite of measures has drawn criticism from business groups and the opposition who argued the changes would create uncertainty for operators and increase costs.
The Master Builders Association has backed the split, saying it will give workers greater protections while the parliament has more time to debate the negative consequences the bill could have.
CEO Denita Wawn chastised the government, saying its "attempt to hold additional protections for workers hostage to an ideological anti-business bill is wrong" and voting for broadly supported protections was a sensible approach.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions urged the bill be passed in its entirety, saying all the elements were important to boost wages, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.
"No worker should be left behind, and splitting the bill leaves behind changes that will make a world of difference to struggling families across Australia right now," President Michele O'Neil said.
A Senate inquiry into the broader bill is due to report by February 1.
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