Australia's most influential business and industry groups will renew their push to reduce penalty rates for workers on Sundays and public holidays - particularly in retail, tourism and hospitality - if Tony Abbott becomes prime minister.

The Coalition has promised existing workplace laws will remain largely in place if it wins government, but has pledged to run a Productivity Commission review of the industrial relations system. But a wide coalition of business groups says action must be taken quickly to cut penalty rates particularly on Sundays, when pay rates in retail jump to more than $40. In hospitality, employer groups have focused on Sundays and public holidays, when pay rates jump to double-time-and-a-half - meaning a qualified chef should be paid more than $50 an hour.

Among the groups that will push the Coalition to review penalty rates if it wins office are the Business Council of Australia, which recently released a report arguing that any Productivity Commission review must look at ''the impact of penalty rates on business competitiveness and employment growth, particularly in the retail and hospitality sectors''.

The Tourism and Transport Forum also released polling during the election campaign showing two-thirds of tourism operators want penalty rates reviewed. Chief executive Ken Morrison said the existing penalty rates regime was ''designed for a 20th century industrial base''.

Also set to pursue a new government hard over penalty rates is the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Chief executive Peter Anderson said there had been anger among industry groups over a pledge by Julia Gillard when she was workplace minister that pay rates would not be pushed up dramatically under the new Fair Work system. ''And yet they increased them substantially,'' he said.