Federal opposition attempts to bring on a vote for worker protection changes as part of the government's controversial workplace laws have failed.
The Senate last week carved out four non-contentious elements from the workplace bill, which included protections for emergency workers with post-traumatic stress and employees facing domestic violence.
The measures also brought silica dust into line with rules for asbestos along with protecting redundancy payments.
The elements were brought out in a bid to get those changes to pass parliament by the end of the year, with the remaining part of the workplace proposal not due for debate until early 2024.
While the opposition tried to force a vote on each of the measures in the lower house on Monday, each attempt was voted down by the government.
The opposition also had support of multiple crossbench MPs in calling for the non-contentious elements to be dealt with quickly.
Manager of opposition business Paul Fletcher said there was wide support in the parliament for carved out bills to be legislated as soon as possible.
"We could move to deal with this now, and that is what the opposition is seeking to do," he said.
"We've been given an opportunity by the Senate in relation to this set of bills that have come across."
But Workplace Minister Tony Burke said the measures would still be up for debate as part of the whole package of workplace laws.
"We will get a chance to debate every one of these provisions ... we owe it to the people whose lives are affected that the whole bill goes through," he told parliament.
"I want us to bring on the bill which is listed for today that deals with all the loopholes."
A Senate inquiry is examining the broader workplace laws, which include greater protection for gig economy workers and the right for casual workers to attain permanent employment.
The inquiry is not set to hand down its report until February.
Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie, who moved to carve out the non-contentious elements of the workplace changes in the upper house, said the laws now had an uncertain future.
"These were good laws, they were Burke's. Now these vulnerable Australians will have to wait until at least July next year - that's assuming the (workplace) bill goes through at all," she said.
"I am shocked and I am appalled that the minister would play politics with peoples' lives like this."
Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black said the lack of debate was disappointing.
"By not allowing a vote on its own legislation, the government has acknowledged the significant risk of the entire omnibus bill to the economy and workers," he said.
"The government has confirmed its omnibus workplace relations bill is too toxic to stand alone."
