Australia’s industrial relations laws could be about to change, with indications that new workplace inquiries and legislation are on the way.

Reports say the Prime Minister will soon launch a Productivity Commission inquiry into industrial relations along with a new “competitiveness agenda” to boost business growth.

The agenda will seek to set up new industry policy to meet a recent agreement for more global growth.

There has been some concern that the changes, reported in News Corp publications on Monday, could be a coded way of saying workers’ rights are about to take a hit.

The story in The Australian says the terms of reference for the Productivity Commission review are almost complete, and that the Prime Minister will announce the IR inquiry as part of a wider pro-business competitiveness agenda in coming weeks.