Federal Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews isn’t falling over himself to support a Victorian proposal to open up the worksites of companies covered by the Federal Comcare system to safety inspections by state-employed inspectors.

Victorian Workcover Minister John Lenders floated the idea at Friday’s meeting of the Australia, State, Territory and New Zealand Workplace Relations Ministers Council in Melbourne.

Mr Lenders says several companies which formerly used the Victorian scheme have now signed up for self-insurance under the Comcare scheme. But instead of achieving the ideal inherent in a single workers’ compensation regime, those companies are allegedly suffering from “red tape” and a relatively small team of safety inspectors.

The mismatched laws mean an employee under Comcare may still come under a state workers’ compensation jurisdiction when working offsite.

“As more high-risk industries transfer to Comcare, the implications for safety regulation and enforcement in more complex types of workplaces [are] causing concern among key parties,” Mr Lenders said in a meeting agenda paper.

His plan would allow the states to enter nationally insured work sites and prosecute companies that breach their safety regulations.

All Australian state and territories agreed to the proposal on Friday, but Mr Andrews isn’t racing to see the suggestion implemented. He said he would pass the suggestion on to senior officials in his department before making comment.

Mr Lenders says it’s a disappointing outcome. “Kevin Andrews refused to endorse a plan for better workplace safety and less red tape,” he said. “His offer to have bureaucrats talk was like Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned.”

Sunrise Exchange News contacted Mr Andrews’ office but did not receive any comment on his intentions before publication.