Vastly reduced numbers of MPs and Senators attended Parliament as a safety measure as debate on the legislation continued late into Wednesday night.

Riverina MP and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack posted on social media after the legislation had passed that Parliament had "enabled a lifeline for business and importantly, workers".

"Approving the historic $130 billion JobKeeper package provides payments to an estimated 6 million workers," he stated

"We are in this together - one in, all in - stay home to stay healthy".

JobKeeper will provide fortnightly $1500 payments to businesses per eligible worker to enable them to continue trading or keep workers on the books for a hibernation period during the pandemic.

The scheme will apply to full-time, part-time and casual workers who had been with their employer for 12 months and will include New Zealand citizens on class 444 visas.

Companies with less than $1 billion in annual revenue that have suffered a 30 per cent downturn in business during the coronavirus will be eligible for wage subsidies.

Companies with more than $1 billion in revenue will have to demonstrate a 50 per cent downturn to be eligible.

Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill said the JobKeeper scheme will "help many Australians and businesses" but "millions of Australian workers are being left behind" including council staff in the Riverina.

"The future of hundreds of council workers in Riverina remain in limbo," she said.

"There is one person and one person only standing between local councils and the JobKeeper payment and that is the Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg.

"The JobKeeper legislation gives the Treasurer extraordinary powers in these unprecedented times to make a determination to include those workers, businesses and organisations not covered by the wage subsidy package that passed Parliament on April 8.

"So any struggling worker, business or organisation that has been excluded from a JobKeeper payment is only in that difficult position because the Treasurer didn't include them in the legislation. It is now by his own choice that the Treasurer continues to refuse to offer Councils a lifeline of financial support."

Senator O'Neill called on Mr McCormack to push for JobKeeper eligibility to be expanded "before things get worse for regional economies".

"This is without doubt, one of the top issues my office has been fielding calls about this week," she said.

"I want to know where is the Member for Riverina, Michael McCormack on this? Why isn't he standing up to keep the people of Riverina in their jobs and ensure their local council can continue to carry out their important work.

"Councils all across the country are already starting to stand down staff.

"I will not let this rest. Local councils are in many cases, the biggest employers in the community and we need to do everything we can to ensure as many Australians as possible, wherever they work, are kept employed."

Labor's amendments to expand the JobKeeper scheme to more casual and temporary visa workers was defeated in Parliament, as were Greens amendments to include more arts and entertainment workers.

Wagga business owners have already applied for the scheme, which will start making backdated payments via the Australian Tax Office early next month, but have complained about complexities in the application process.

Wagga councillor Vanessa Keenan has said it was "completely shocking" that the subsidies did not extend to the more than 600 people employed by the city's council.

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