Comcare is under-resourced says ACTU

The ACTU has accused the Howard Government of "creating a national OHS scheme by stealth" and therefore compromising workers' safety.

ACTU OHS officer, Steve Mullins said the Howard Government is not to be believed when it says it has no plans to create a national OHS system.

He believes this has already been initiated by the passing of legislation to enable private companies to join Comcare.

"Comcare was originally designed for the Commonwealth public service, but now companies from the construction, transport, finance and telecommunications industries have been invited to escape the state systems and go national," he said.

The ACTU has raised the alarm as it believes Comcare is under-resourced to cope with a sudden influx of private companies.

In the 2005-06 period, the number of Comcare inspectors totaled 32, while in the state regulators, inspectors numbered 312 in NSW, 39 in the ACT, 270 in Qld, 100 in WA and 240 in Vic.

"What this has done is create a safety gap, meaning workers' lives will be put at risk," Mullins said.