Prime Minister Scott Morrison has accused Labor of running a "scare campaign" after the Opposition claimed wages and working conditions would be threatened under the Coalition government's plans to re-introduce industrial reform.
Mr Morrison has said a Coalition government would revive
Labor argues this would see a return of abandoned plans to scrap the better off overall test (BOOT) for workplace agreements, despite the Coalition's insistence there won't be a return to the policy.
The government had sought to suspend the test in 2020 - used by the Fair Work Commission to assess enterprise bargaining agreements against awards - for employers hit by the pandemic.
But Mr Morrison said the "pandemic is now passed" and Australia is no longer in an "economic emergency environment" where the changes are required.
"If you don't have an economic plan, you go and raise false scare campaigns against your opponents," he told reporters.
It comes as Mr Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese prepare to face off for the first time this election campaign when they meet for a leaders' debate on Wednesday night.
The prime minister and Opposition leader will go head-to-head in Brisbane at 7pm where they will take questions from undecided voters.
Mr Albanese had earlier said workers deserve a government "that doesn't attack their working conditions" by "going back to legislation that was defeated when it was introduced during the last term".
"And what the prime minister wants to do, is to suspend that better off overall test," he said.
"What that would do is mean that all of the extra conditions, above people's basic wage, their leave loading, their holiday leave, all of those things are up for grabs. Their penalty rates, that they rely upon."
Mr Morrison said the IR changes were aimed at simplifying the "often complex" industrial relations system, which "costs jobs, costs higher wages, and it costs the Australian economy."
The Morrison government has also announced it would double the penalties courts can impose on construction unions, should it be re-elected.
Penalties for serious offences such as unlawful industrial action, freedom of association or coercion will be increased to $88,000 for an individual and $444,000 for a union.
Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said the changes to the building and construction industry act would try to stamp out "bullying and intimidation" by the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union.
"Time and again we have seen shocking behaviour from CFMMEU officials," she said.
"Mr Albanese will hand over this critical industry to the CFMMEU because he is too weak to stand up to them."
Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke said that this is not Labor's policy, calling it "no surprise" from the Coalition.
"It is no surprise that the government has decided the biggest issue they want to deal with is to be able to have an attack on unions, and still to this day, they have not legislated to deal with wage theft," he said.
"So, if an employer is stealing from their workers, Mr Morrison doesn’t think that’s a concern."
Labor criticises Coalition's handling of aged care
Labor has backed aged care workers across the nation planning to walk off the job over low pay and understaffing.
Thousands of aged care staff in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia have voted in favour of strike action.
Mr Albanese told reporters on Wednesday Labor's five-point to plan to overhaul the system included pay rises for staff, based on royal commission recommendations.
He said there was a reason the one-word title of the royal commission report into the sector was "Neglect".
"We want every dollar that goes into aged care to go into better care and better food and better outcomes for our older Australians," he said.
Fair Work Commission hearings into a union bid to lift aged care pay to 25 per cent above the award will start next week.
A 'massive foreign policy failure'
Speaking in the southeast Queensland seat of Forde on Wednesday, Mr Albanese criticised the government's handling of
Mr Albanese joined Labor's foreign affairs spokesperson Penny Wong in labelling the signing of a security pact between China and Solomon Islands as a "massive foreign policy failure on the prime minister's watch".
"This deal between China and the Solomons was foreshadowed, foreshadowed last August, the government was warned. Yet, only in recent days did the government bother to send a junior person across to the Solomons," he said.
Beijing's Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday night that the agreement had been formalised after a draft was leaked last month.
On Wednesday, Mr Morrison defended the government's handling of policy in the Pacific after Solomon Islands.
He said the government was conscious of not pressing too hard against the agreement, rebuffing suggestions himself or Foreign Minister Marise Payne should have flown to Honiara.
"We treat the Pacific family as siblings and as family and our view is very much that you don't go around stomping around telling leaders in Pacific Islands what they should and shouldn't do," he said.
China said on Tuesday it had signed the pact with Solomon Islands - a move set to heighten the concerns of the United States and allies Australia and New Zealand about growing Chinese influence in the region.
Last week, Zed Seselja, Australia's minister for international development and the Pacific,
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the pact would mean: "China is able, if they follow this through, to set up a military base there," he said.
"That’s a very bad day for Australia. We don’t want our own little Cuba off our coast.”
Mr Sogavare has offered Australia his assurances the country has no intention of allowing the installation of a Chinese military base under the proposed security deal.
Mr Albanese said the development showed Australia's role as a "key player" in the Pacific had broken down.
"This isn’t something that has just arisen. This is something that has been in the planning for a period of time."
The Opposition leader said he would be prepared to make a personal visit to Solomon Islands if elected.
He did not answer whether Labor would elevate the significance of the Pacific portfolio, instead saying sending Senator Wong to the island nation would have been appropriate.
Mr Morrison said he looked forward to making a visit to Solomon Islands at the "first opportunity" if re-elected.
It comes as both parties have been accused of running negative scare tactics during the second week of the campaign.
Labor has been accused of trying to frighten people by saying the government would move to roll out more pensioners onto cashless debit cards, claims which the prime minister's choice for health minister, Anne Ruston, has rejected.
The Coalition has gone on the attack by saying household electricity bills would rise under Labor, should the Opposition win office - claims also vehemently denied.
