Cash takes aim at former ACT chief

Labor frontbencher Katy Gallagher has come under attack from the Turnbull government over her record as former ACT chief minister.

It comes amid media reports her successor Andrew Barr signed a memorandum of understanding with UnionsACT last year requiring the government to consult them before awarding contracts for projects.

Mr Barr has reportedly described the story as a beat-up, saying similar agreements had been in place for over a decade - a comment Employment Minister Michaelia Cash pounced on in parliament on Wednesday.

Mr Barr's admission showed he had "no shame" and questioned the record of Senator Gallagher, who stepped down as chief minister in 2014.

"What deals did you enter into when you were the chief minister of the ACT?

"Stitching up your agencies to the behest of the unions.

"In the ACT it appears there's now four levels of government - you have the legislature, the executive, the judiciary and then of course there's the unions."