Labor scrambles to pass industrial relations, territory rights as parliamentary sitting fortnight is extended

The last parliamentary sitting fortnight of the year will also be extended, as the government races against the clock to cram through a packed agenda.

Three controversial issues - its sweeping industrial relations reforms, the territory rights bill, and a National Anti-Corruption Commission - are likely to go down to the wire, after being penciled in for next week.

Labor has already begun clearing its in-tray in preparation for the showdown. It will move to ensure next week is freed-up by cutting off debate and forcing a vote on all other bills on Friday afternoon.

But independent senator for the ACT David Pocock, a likely kingmaker, has warned he will sink its industrial relations bill if it remains unchanged.

The government is so far resisting crossbenchers' calls to split the bill, allowing its less contentious elements - including more transparency around wages, flexible working hours - to pass before Christmas.

To pass bills without the Coalition's support, it needs backing from the Greens and one other Senate crossbencher.

Senator Pocock has consistently called for the ACT's $100 million public housing debt to be wiped, but insisted that would not be a prerequisite for waving through the package.

"This IR bill is so big and far-reaching that I'm certainly not horse trading on it. I want to get this right," he told reporters on Tuesday morning.

"It affects too many Australians, too many workers, too many small businesses. My priority has been working through the details, consulting, ensuring that we get the details right."

Business groups are particularly concerned about proposed changes to the "single-stream" of multi-bargaining, which would enable workers in the same industry and similar locations to negotiate collectively.

Labor has insisted the bill in its entirety is needed to kickstart sluggish wage growth, and has exempted companies with fewer than 15 employees from the single-stream.

Senator Pocock accused the government of attempting to rush through the changes without adequately addressing anxiety among local businesses.

Employment Minister Tony Burke said he "respected" calls from the crossbench to have the threshold raised further.

"There has always been an expectation that when the bill hit the Senate that this was part of those negotiations," he said.

In another sign she will vote against the legislation, independent senator Jacqui Lambie also took aim at Labor's bid to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission, a watchdog for construction unions implemented under the Coalition.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the party still held "some concerns" over the omnibus bill, and had agreed a deal to extend the sitting fortnight to resolve them.

Senator Hanson-Young would not be drawn on whether the government may be running out of time to pass its agenda, saying it would be "up to every member of the Senate to participate in those conversations efficiently, effectively, and with respect".

"We are hopeful that we can come to a resolution around some of the concerns that we have," she said.

"But we have today put in place the best environment to now have this good conversation, and hopefully get a good result for the lowest-paid workers in this country before Christmas."

A late-night resolution to the 25-year campaign for territory rights is also set for next week, unless it is surprisingly resolved within an hour window on Thursday.

The Senate will not rise until the bill has been debated in-full and voted on next Thursday evening.

It was initially set to be relegated to the final order of business next Friday, as the Albanese government prioritised the other two.

Senator Pocock pushed for a re-think, fearing some his colleagues might be tempted to leave Canberra and miss the crucial vote.

"My concern with leaving territory rights to the end is, given how much there is currently in the Senate, you can imagine a real logjam," he told reporters on Tuesday morning.

"I don't want it to get caught up."

Finance Minister and ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher eventually agreed to change the plans, moving the territory rights debate forward to late Thursday afternoon.

The government has allowed a conscience vote on the bill, which is opposed by a number of its senators, though Senator Pocock has expressed confidence the yes camp has sufficient numbers.

Labor's plan for a National Anti-Corruption Commission, which it promised to legislate this year, is the third bill likely to be resolved in the final week.

Crossbenchers are attempting to remove a threshold which would see public hearings held only in "exceptional circumstances", though the plan could be waved through with the support of the Coalition.

Labor began clearing the decks in preparation on Tuesday, striking a deal with the crossbench over its plan to subsidise electric vehicles.