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Rapper Baker Boy has won five ARIA Awards including album of the year, for the critically acclaimed Gela.

Baker Boy, otherwise known as Danzal James Baker, gave his album of the year acceptance speech in his indigenous language Yolgnu Matha, which is native to northeast Arnhem Land.

He rapped Meditjin for the crowd at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney and then was back on stage moments later to receive the gong for best hip hop/rap release.

"This is crazy!" he exclaimed, dedicating the gong to family and young people back home.

"We can make that success ... I did it, I've been there and I know you can," he said.

Baker Boy also took home best solo artist, while his album Gela won best cover art and mix engineer-best mixed album.

Tones And I won song of the year for her tune Cloudy Day, her fifth ARIA Award win, and said the awards had an awesome line-up in 2022.

"It's pretty cool to see the future of Australian music representing tonight," she said.

Rock band Amyl and the Sniffers took home two ARIAs: best group and best rock album, and had the crowd on their feet with a performance of Guided By Angels.

The Wiggles won best children's album and best Australian live act, while best pop release went to The Kid LAROI.

The first in-person ARIAs night since 2019 was hosted by eight-time ARIA Award-winner Natalie Imbruglia, who is also celebrating the 25th anniversary of her chart-topping album Left Of The Middle.

There were also tributes to the late Olivia Newton-John, Archie Roach and Judith Durham, all of whom have been inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Casey Donovan and Dami Im sang tributes to Judith Durham of The Seekers.

The late Archie Roach was awarded best independent release for One Song, which Budjerah, Thelma Plum and Jess Mauboy performed in his memory.

ARIA AWARDS 2022

* Album of the Year: Baker Boy - Gela

* Best Solo Artist: Baker Boy - Gela

* Song of the Year: Tones And I - Cloudy Day

* Best Group: Amyl and The Sniffers - Comfort To Me

* Michael Gudinski Breakthrough Artist: King Stingray - King Stingray

* Best Pop Release: The Kid LAROI - Thousand Miles

* Best Dance/Electronic Release: Luude - Down Under

* Best Hip Hop/Rap Release: Baker Boy - Gela

* Best Soul/R&B Release: Budjerah - Conversations

* Best Independent Release: Archie Roach - One Song

* Best Rock Album: Amyl and The Sniffers - Comfort To Me

* Best Adult Contemporary Album: Julia Jacklin - PRE PLEASURE

* Best Country Album: Casey Barnes - Light It Up

* Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album: The Chats - Get F**ked

* Best Blues and Roots Album: William Crighton - Water and Dust

* Best Children's Album: The Wiggles - ReWiggled

* Best Video: Every Side Of You - Vance Joy, William Bleakley

* Best Australian Live Act: The Wiggles - The OG Wiggles Reunion/Fruit Salad TV Big Show Tour

* Most Popular International Artist: Harry Styles - Harry's House

* Music Teacher Award: Matt Orchard - Apollo Bay P-12 Colleg

* Best Classical Album: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra & Sir Andrew Davis - The Enchanted Loom: Orchestral works By Carl Vine

* Best Jazz Album: Mildlife - Live From South Channel Island

* Best Original Soundtrack: Australian Chamber Orchestra & Richard Tognetti - River

* Best World Music Album: Joseph Tawadros with William Barton - History Has A Heartbeat

© AAP 2022

The size of small businesses to be exempt from new workplace laws is still being thrashed out as the government continues negotiations.

A parliamentary report into the government's workplace relations laws recommended increasing the size of small businesses exempt from multi-employer bargaining from 15 to 20 employees.

Independent senator David Pocock, a key crossbench vote in the Senate, is negotiating with the government about what number of employees strikes the right balance.

Small Business Minister Julie Collins says the increase to 20 would boost the number of exempt businesses to more than 2.5 million, up from 2 million.

But she stressed the government was still determining the final outcome.

"We are negotiating and talking about what that might look like," she told ABC TV.

The opposition is attacking the government's legislation and plans to bring in multi-employer bargaining, saying it will increase costs to small businesses.

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor said Australia didn't need a return to a "toxic" industrial relations system, stating individual arrangements were working best.

"It's allowing employers and employees to sit down and work together to get the best possible outcome for the business and the workers," he told ABC Radio.

But unions have hit back at the claims.

ACTU president Michele O'Neil said employees at any size business had the right to bargain.

"This is big business running a scare campaign about what is going to happen to small business," she told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

"(Small business workers) are already excluded in what the government has put through for businesses less than 15 (workers) and they have absolutely nothing to fear from us."

The bill faces an uncertain future in parliament, with the government still negotiating with key crossbenchers.

Senator Pocock has said he supports 85 to 90 per cent of the bill but wants time to consider the impact of more complex aspects such as multi-employer bargaining.

Ms O'Neil said the ACTU was also in talks with senator Pocock.

A new union report says multi-employer bargaining would narrow the gender pay gap.

The 12-page ACTU report says women on collective agreements earn $102.60 more per week on average than women not covered by collective agreements.

"Gender equity is a matter that can be bargained for and included in collective agreements," it says.

The research notes progress in narrowing the gender pay gap has flatlined and even regressed in some sectors.

The gender pay gap is 14.1 per cent of full-time ordinary time earnings between women and men, or about $263.90 per week.

Independent MP Zali Steggall said she expected there would be further changes to the workplace laws, including increases to the definition of small businesses.

"My discussions with the government have been a bit frustrating because they keep saying 'it's not the vibe of the thing, we don't intend for it to capture these businesses'," she told Sky News on Thursday.

© AAP 2022

A federal anti-corruption watchdog is a step closer after parliament's lower house gave it the green light.

Arguments from members of the cross bench failed to convince the Albanese government to change its threshold rule for public hearings, or agree to define the provision.

Independent MP Helen Haines, who spearheaded efforts to set up a federal integrity body, tried to remove the "exceptional circumstances" clause, saying the provision was "unnecessary and alarming".

"This is the single most important change to this bill," Dr Haines told parliament on Thursday.

When this was not supported, Dr Haines pushed for the government to define the meaning of "exceptional circumstances".

Her amendments were backed by the Greens, other independents and Liberal MP Bridget Archer.

But Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the government did not support the changes, saying they were matters on which "reasonable minds may differ".

"The commissioner will have the discretion to hold public hearings if they're satisfied that it's in the public interest and exceptional circumstances justify doing so," he said.

"It is the government's view that this is an appropriate threshold which reflects the significant nature of the power to compel a person to answer questions."

Independent MP Zali Steggall said while the proposed model would help increase accountability and transparency, she did not believe it went far enough.

"This (bill) is not capturing that opportunity to genuinely deliver to the Australian people what they asked for at the election, which is public integrity and accountability," Ms Steggall said.

She said not defining exceptional circumstances left commissioners open to legal challenge and Australians would be kept in the dark if the government did not lower the bar for public hearings.

"I don't think there could have been any clearer call at the election in 2022 that the public has had enough," Ms Steggall said.

"They want to see integrity returned to this place."

Dr Haines called for an amendment to address pork barrelling by political parties ahead of elections.

She said it was "beyond doubt" pork barrelling fell within the definition of corrupt conduct.

However, Mr Dreyfus said the government's proposal included the commission's ability to investigate discretionary grants programs where they breached public trust.

Independent MP Dai Le, who represents the multicultural electorate of Fowler, was successful in her push for the commission to ensure translation and interpreter services be made available for witnesses.

But a further amendment to protect the mental health of witnesses by allowing them to disclose their involvement in a public hearing was not agreed to.

Mr Dreyfus said the commissioner would have discretion to allow a witness to talk to their spouse or partner about being called as a witness and it did not need to be specified in the legislation.

"It is the government's expectation that the commission would make available appropriate translation, mental health and other support services to persons who require assistance," he said.

Additional crossbench amendments to improve protections for public broadcasters and put time frames on reporting requirements were not agreed to.

The opposition proposed to mandate factors to be taken into account when determining whether to have a public hearing and to clarify the definition of corruption, but these were not accepted.

An additional suggestion by the opposition to only hold investigations on past matters when it was in the public interest was also rejected.

The Senate will examine the proposal and has extended its sitting calendar so it can be passed before parliament finishes for the year next Friday.

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© AAP 2022