Uber has warned it may have to increase average prices for rideshare and food delivery by up to 85 per cent, resulting in 140 million fewer trips for drivers and potentially forcing it shut down the app in regional areas, if parliament passes the Albanese government’s laws to set minimum pay for the gig economy.

The on-demand digital platform has launched a push to narrow the scope of the government’s Closing Loopholes Bill by calling on the Senate to rule out penalty rates as a minimum condition for gig workers and limit references to award standards which it argues will entrench “outdated” comparisons to traditional employment.