Coalition close to IR bill deal with One Nation

Michaelia Cash on verge of deal with One Nation on workplace bill, leaving the government needing the vote of Stirling Griff.

Acting Industrial Relations Minister Michaelia Cash. Picture: Gary Ramage

The Morrison government is close to securing One Nation’s support for its important industrial relations bill, leaving the ­Coalition needing the backing of Centre Alliance’s Stirling Griff to get the workplace changes legislated by the Senate this week.

With the government requiring three Senate crossbench votes, sources said acting Industrial Relations Minister Michaelia Cash was on the verge of agreeing to amendments proposed by One Nation, which has two votes in the Senate.

One Nation on Wednesday will release its proposed changes, which will include allowing casuals to seek permanent employment after six months of regular work rather than 12 months.

If a deal is locked in with One Nation, the government will then focus on trying to win over Senator Griff and, if successful, seek to pass the IR bill by Thursday.

Senator Griff has called for the government to support changes recommended by the Law Council of Australia, including giving workers increased access to arbitration when in dispute with employers over casual conversion requests, employment conditions on greenfields projects, and wage underpayment claims.

He said on Tuesday that he had not seen the One Nation amendments so could not comment on their suitability or whether he would support them.

Employers and insolvency experts warned failure by the Senate to pass the bill this week would force a significant number of at-risk businesses into collapse, costing a “massive number of jobs that could otherwise be saved”.

The Australian Industry Group said its member advice line had recorded a significant jump in businesses calling about potential redundancies as the end of JobKeeper approaches in two weeks.

“A defeat of the bill will crush confidence, devastate current and future employment, particularly impact small and family-owned Australian businesses, and completely undercut our pros­pects of a quick recovery,” Ai Group chief Innes Willox said.

“Business owners – and those who work with them – will not forget those who campaigned against the interests of our national economic recovery, nor those who choose to vote against that recovery,” he said.

In a letter to Josh Frydenberg, the professional body for restructuring, insolvency and turnaround experts wrote that already distressed businesses would be at a higher risk of insolvency if the bill was not supported by the Senate crossbench.