Senators are preparing for a battle over the shape of Australia's federal anti-corruption watchdog as the Labor government moves to pass it ahead of its self-imposed Christmas deadline.
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Debate over what the National Anti-Corruption Commission will look like is underway this week in the lower house after Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus revealed fresh amendments on Tuesday afternoon.
Better safeguards for journalists and their sources, expressly allowing those under investigation to disclose to medical professionals and requiring judge signoff on surveillance and interception warrants are among some of the changes the federal government has put forward.
Mr Dreyfus said it was as a result of "acting co-operatively, listening to feedback and taking it on board".
But a series of amendments from all sides of politics is threatening to derail the government's proposed timeline.
Crossbenchers across both houses are concerned over the threshold set for public hearings, which makes private hearings the default except in "exceptional circumstances".
The Coalition meanwhile believes the Albanese government has struck the right balance on public hearings but is concerned over the "truncated timeline" and an "artificial deadline".
The debate is expected to be held over Tuesday and Wednesday and could extend into the late evenings.
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Coalition legal affairs spokesperson Julian Leeser said the opposition was broadly supportive of the proposed model, but felt it was being rushed to meet an "artificial deadline" set by the Labor government.
"The Labor Party has tried to paint their support for this bill as evidence that they are white knights on integrity but their actions show this is ... not the case," he said.
The default of private hearings except in exceptional circumstances was a "reasonable balance" to protect against reputational damage to those who are under investigation or called to be a witness, Mr Leeser said.
"It's imperative that the default position be that private hearings are held, and obviously with the test of exceptional circumstances being employed," Mr Leeser said.
While Labor can pass the bill in the lower house without opposition or crossbench support, it will need the support of either the Coalition or the Greens and one other crossbencher in the senate.
Greens senator David Shoebridge said the minor party was supportive of the some of Mr Dreyfus' amendments but would seek to use its balance of power to make further adjustments.
One amendment limiting the definition of corruption by public officials is "deeply concerning", he said.
The crossbench senator said he would continue to push for more open hearings over the next week.
"The biggest gap in these amendments is that they fail to deliver on the most pressing issue raised during the inquiry, which is the need for the NACC to be able to hold public hearings when appropriate," Senator Shoebridge said.
"This is a core issue the Greens will continue to press in the senate over the next two weeks."
The Labor government will need an additional crossbencher to back the bill in the senate along with the Greens if the Coalition does not support its final version.
The most likely candidates include ACT senator David Pocock or Jacqui Lambie Network senators, who have both raised concerns over the "exceptional circumstances" rule and put forward their own amendments to remove it.
Senator Lambie said the inclusion of a high bar on public hearings sounded like a backdoor deal between Labor and the Coalition but added she ultimately wanted to see an integrity body passed.
"We want police on the beat and we want it to get started now," she told the ABC on Tuesday.