The manager of opposition business in the Senate, shadow foreign minister Simon Birmingham, has criticised the Albanese government for flagging more sitting days may be needed to pass its industrial relations bill.

Birmingham, appearing on ABC television this afternoon, said the legislation was rushed and “inconsistent with the promises and commitments [the government] made before the last election”.

“It seems remarkable that having set the calendar themselves they now don’t have enough time and are pleading for more,” Birmingham said.

“What is even more remarkable is that they are pleading for more to pursue a policy agenda that they did not take to the election. They are trying to rush through industrial relations reforms that are inconsistent with the promises and commitments they made before the last election, that have been roundly criticised by business, particularly small business, and reforms that if anything will make difficult economic circumstances and challenges even worse.”

When it was put to Birmingham that crossbenchers were asking for more sitting time, rather than the government, he said: “The crossbench have largely asked for more time for the public, for business groups, for others interested in this reform to actually get across the detail of it.

“We had the farcical situation where people were being called to give evidence to a Senate committee having not had time to make formal submissions to actually get across the detail of what are quite wide-ranging and complex reforms that the government is proposing.”

Birmingham said the opposition would consider proposals for extra sitting hours “on their merits”, but added: “When it comes to the industrial relations reforms, we think they are ill-conceived reforms, bad for the country and nation that are being rushed through, that the government did not take the election. No, we’re not going to be supporting those sorts of reforms.”