Coalition votes with crossbench to split Labor’s workplace bill

The Senate has split the Albanese government’s industrial relations bill, backing a crossbencher bid to spin off non-controversial parts of the bill for urgent passage despite Labor opposition.

Senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie, backed by the Coalition, One Nation and other crossbenchers, guillotined debate and brought forward a successful vote of their motion on Thursday morning to break away elements of the Closing Loopholes Bill into four separate bills.