Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced on Thursday that the federal government will be introducing new laws to tackle misconduct by trade union officials.

Turnbull’s comment comes after a report by the trade union royal commission which was released on Wednesday. Turnbull also said the government will attempt to bring back the Australian Building and Construction Commission, which is a part of the recommendations by the royal commission.

Turnbull and Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said that most of the recommendations by the royal commission will be adopted and formed into new laws for making union regulations even stricter.

"If its recommendations are substantially adopted, if the lessons of this report are learned, the trade union movement will emerge much stronger," the Guardian quoted Turnbull as saying.

Turnbull also said that he wants to reintroduce the ABCC legislation in the parliament after it resumes in February. The legislation was previously blocked in the Senate. Cash promised to make every effort to bring in the new changes as the parliament resumes.

“That does not mean it will be a double dissolution. I want that to be very, very clear," the ABC quoted Cash as saying. "Are we prepared to fight for a better deal for the workers? Absolutely, we are prepared to do that."

The prime minister also indicated that he would even consider fighting an election if the measure does not find support in the Parliament. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said in a statement on Twitter that he is prepared for an election on industrial relations if the prime minister is asking for it.

The report, prepared by Dyson Heydon, has referred more than 40 individuals and organizations to prosecutors on possible charges of misconduct and corruption. The list included key union figures including Victorian Labor MP Cesar Melhem and former Health Services Union Kathy Jackson.

However, no allegations have been brought against Shorten, who headed the Australian Workers Union at the time it committed a series of misconducts as per the report. The findings of the report have been dismissed by the Labor saying that the cases highlighted in it did not hold a systematic representation of the problems amongst union leaders.

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