The infrastructure and construction sector has been one of the worst affected by persistent worker shortages, with a December report from Infrastructure Australia finding the sector faces a shortage of 229,000 workers.

This ought to be a wake-up call for the federal government, which just a week prior to the release of the report regulated a form of hiring commonly used by the construction and infrastructure sectors.

The federal government’s Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Bill 2023 passed the Senate during the last sitting week of 2023 with crossbench support, but only after most of its more controversial elements, such as increased restrictions...