The federal government has accused Labor of throwing up red herrings as it negotiates a Senate deal on draft laws that impose tougher governance measures on trade unions and their officials.
"Labor just at this last minute ... is throwing up a few red herrings trying to make themselves look reasonable," cabinet minister Mathias Cormann told ABC radio on Monday.
Senator Cormann said he was quietly confident the Senate would pass both the Registered Organisations Bill and another double-dissolution trigger piece of legislation restoring the building industry watchdog.
There was no excuse for Labor to vote against both bills, he said.
Liberal Democrats senator David Leyonhjelm is expecting the government to support Labor's amendments.
"I found myself in the unusual position of talking to both of them, basically being a go-between," he told ABC radio.
"It turned out they were able to agree on quite a lot."
Opposition workplace relations spokesman Brendan O'Connor played down the chances of a compromise.
"We have yet to be able to find common ground sufficiently for us to be able to support the bill," he said.
Labor wants to make the Australian Securities and Investments Commission the regulator of union officials rather than the proposed registered organisations commission.
It also wants volunteers to be exempt from the new regulations.
The opposition will also propose greater protections for whistle-blowers and provide more accountability for auditors.
It also wants the disclosure starting point for electoral donations reduced from $13,200 to $1000 for both union polls and federal elections.
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