A key Senate crossbencher has accused the Coalition of being "virtually in caretaker mode" and others say the government has not been talking to them about legislation crucial to passing its childcare reforms.
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With only four sitting days left before the pre-budget break - and speculation Malcolm Turnbull will call an election the day after budget is handed down on May 10 - Parliament has a narrowing window to pass the childcare package, a centrepiece of the 2015 budget.
But the $3 billion package can't be delivered without cuts to family tax benefits, which the Coalition is struggling to find support for. Both Labor and the Greens are opposed and crossbenchers are undecided or sceptical.
Senators Glenn Lazarus, John Madigan, Zhenya Wang and Ricky Muir all report that they have had no recent discussions with the government on the family tax benefit changes. Independent Nick Xenophon said he had not had any "in detail" talks and was still undecided.
Senator Lazarus claimed the government was "not bothered" to focus on anything other than its Senate vote reforms.
"The government is virtually in caretaker mode," he said. "They are in paralysis."
The childcare reforms, which will streamline payments and put stronger requirements on parents to work to earn government subsidies, were introduced to the House of Representatives last December, but are "twinned" with changes to the family payments system, which are in the Senate.
A spokesman for Education Minister Simon Birmingham repeated that the childcare package was "contingent" on the savings measures.
When asked if the family payments bill would be brought on for a vote before the pre-budget break, a spokesman for Social Services Minister Christian Porter said, "we hope this bill is debated soon".
A Senate report into the bill tabled on Tuesday could enable further conversations with the crossbench.
The Australian Childcare Alliance warned that the government was not leaving enough time to implement the childcare changes by the July 2017 start date.
"We certainly don't think there is enough time," vice president Judith Atkinson said.
Peak body Early Childhood Australia said that while it would prefer to get the package right, rather than rush it - the current package was very complicated.
ECA chief executive Samantha Page said the proposed childcare changes would require the government to make changes to its payment systems and explain the new system to parents. It would also require childcare providers to make changes to their systems.
"Twelve months can sound like a long time, but it's not really," ECA chief executive Sam Page.
In its submission to a Senate inquiry on the childcare package, Goodstart Early Learning warned that the risks associated with rolling out the new computer system to support the changes were "very high".
