Labor attacked over 'rolling guillotine'

The federal government will ram 33 separate pieces of legislation through the Senate this week in a move the opposition calls an "abominable" rolling guillotine.

Labor says the bills are non-controversial and the guillotine is necessary because the coalition has trashed the convention of passing them without too much delay and debate.

Some of the draft laws are due to come into effect on January 1.

But the manager of opposition business in the upper house, Mitch Fifield, is outraged.

"This motion institutes a rolling guillotine," he told parliament on Monday.

"This motion seeks to deny this chamber its duty and its obligation to scrutinise legislation."

A motion passed on Monday morning means the Senate will sit extra hours on Tuesday and Thursday nights as well as an additional day on Friday.

Neither house will sit next week as originally scheduled.

Eight bills will be rammed through the Senate on Monday, five on Tuesday, seven on Wednesday, eight on Thursday and five on Friday.

Manager of government business Joe Ludwig says by convention non-controversial bills are passed without too much debate but the opposition this year has been "self-indulgent" and "repetitive".

"There's been a lack of co-operation in that regard," he said.

"Those on the other side had sought to debate those non-controversial bills at length ad nauseam."

Senator Ludwig acknowledged the motion was "unusual" but noted the former Howard government did the same thing in 1999 to speed up the passage of bills.

The government on Monday confirmed neither house would sit next week.

"It is the government's view that it is better to structure the sitting this week so that the whole program can be completed this week," Senator Ludwig said.

Senator Fifield admitted the bills in question were "routine" but insisted the motion was nevertheless "extraordinary".

There was no need for the guillotine because the Senate could easily sit next week as originally scheduled, he said.

The Liberal frontbencher also slammed the Greens for backing the "abominable" motion.

"It goes against every speech on accountability they have ever given in this place," Senator Fifield said, adding the Greens were showing their true colours.