ACT Senator Strikes Deal Giving Australia’s Labor Government Crucial Vote for Passing Industrial Relations Bill

Childcare workers and supporters from Dawson Street Child Care Co-operative walk down Sydney Road during a protest march as part of a campaign in Melbourne, Australia, for higher wages on March 8, 2017. Scott Barbour/Getty Images

The centre-left Labor government looks like it has secured the necessary votes to pass its controversial industrial relations bill in parliament after crunch negotiations on Saturday with a key Senate crossbencher. 

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says he is confident the amendments to existing workplace relations law, which enshrine multi-employer bargaining, can pass after talks with independent Senator David Pocock on Saturday night. 

“It hasn’t been an easy negotiation and Senator Pocock has been very clear on a series of the principles that he wanted to look at,” Burke told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.

“He would have preferred that everything was dealt with next year when we said we wanted to make decisions this year. It has involved a very intense process.”