Pauline Hanson has hit back at a Labor jibe about her old fish and chip shop as the federal government's controversial building industry watchdog sparked yet another late night debate in parliament.
Labor's attack on the crossbench raged until 10pm, when tinkered laws to restore the building industry watchdog cleared parliament.
The amendment, passed on Wednesday night, shrinks a two-year transition period for companies to comply with a new building code to nine months after a rethink by senators Derryn Hinch and Nick Xenophon over the summer break.
Legislation to restore the Howard-era watchdog passed parliament with crossbench support last year, following a series of marathon Senate debates.
Senators Hinch and Xenophon bore the brunt of Labor's attack on Wednesday, but when the opposition used Senator Hanson's former fish and chip shop business to make a point, the One Nation leader fired up.
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"You may criticise me for my fish and chip shop but that was a business I had," she told parliament.
"I worked and I worked damn hard for myself and my four children."
She vowed not to let unions control the country.
"If they want to have a go at me, that won't stop me. I won't be threatened. I will not be intimidated and I'm here to do a job for the people of this country."
Senator Xenophon says he's taking legal action against the construction union, seeking an apology and retraction over defamatory billboards by the CFMEU.
Greens senator Lee Rhiannon accused the government of running a cartel, working with the building industry to cut corners so they could increase their profits.
"You've built your career on abusing construction workers, unions, delegates, the CFMEU," she told Employment Minister Michaelia Cash.
"I've never once heard her take up the issue of safety on the job - why don't you go after the companies who are killing people?"
But the most vicious attack was reserved for Senator Hinch, with senior Labor figure Kim Carr revealing the independent had made a deal with the Victorian branch of the Labor party at the 2016 election about how he would vote on industrial relations matters in return for a preference arrangement.
"Those commitments have now been broken. I hope this is your last term because we won't be doing it again," Senator Carr told parliament.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull weighed in on the attack during question time, labelling it an "extraordinary threatening" speech.
