The Senate could be in for a long night tonight.
Its sitting hours have been extended until midnight as the government attempts to pass its childcare and welfare changes.
Attorney-General George Brandis says the government wants them dealt with by Friday.
"It's the government's intention to secure the passage of both this bill and the childcare bill through the Senate this week."
The Coalition has split its omnibus bill in two.
One part includes childcare changes like streamlining various payments into one means-tested subsidy.
The second bill contains a suite of cuts to social security, designed to help pay for the childcare reform.
But Labor says those cuts are unfair.
The opposition leader Bill Shorten again put pressure on the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in parliamentary question time.
SHORTEN: "When will the Prime Minister stop recycling cuts from the 2014 budget and stop hurting families?"
TURNBULL: "Mr speaker, the leader of the opposition has no plan for childcare whatsoever. He claims to talk about his concern for Australian families. He claims to be concerned about the rising cost of living. He has no plan for childcare at all. None. Nothing. And certainly no means of paying for one whatsoever."
The government has shelved some of its more controversial welfare cuts in a bid to win the support of the Senate crossbench.
A four-week wait for the dole for unemployed young people has been removed.
Also off the table for now is a plan to phase-out annual family tax benefit supplements.
Instead, the government will save around $2 billion over the next four years by freezing the family tax benefit at the current rate for two years, rather than increasing it to keep up with inflation.
Crucial crossbench senator Nick Xenophon says the changes are enough to win his support.
"This is not ideal but this is in my view the least worst option in dealing with these issues in a way that would not cause severe hardship to many thousands of families as was proposed in the omnibus bill."
The government might still be met with some push back on the childcare package.
Its plans would see the lowest paid families get 85 per cent of their childcare costs covered, while those earning more than $340,000 a year would be covered for 20 per cent.
Liberal Democratic senator David Leyonhjelm says the payments are too generous at the top end.
"Once it reaches $340,000 in income, it just flattens out, but it doesn't stop. So you can be earning the same salary as Ahmed Fahour, send your kids to childcare, and still receive a childcare subsidy. That's the reality of it. Now, I am going to do what I can to stop that"
The Senate could be forced to sit an extra day this week to reach a decision on both bills.
