Federal Opposition Leader Kim Beazley says a compensation deal for asbestos victims is still in doubt, despite a favourable ruling yesterday by the tax office. The ruling allows the building materials company James Hardie to claim tax deductions for payments to its asbestos compensation fund. Mr Beazley has welcomed the decision, but says he is still worried by last week's ruling which refused to grant charity status to the fund. Mr Beazley is calling on the Federal Government to immediately intervene. "This is something that has to be done now, it's not something that I can promise when I'm in government, so to speak," he said. "Because frankly if it's not absolutely fixed by the end of this year, and that is a year short of the next election, there's a very real chance the whole thing will fall over." A lawyer who represented unions and victims in negotiations with James Hardie says yesterday's tax ruling is a positive step, but he is warning that the multi-billion dollar compensation deal may still be in doubt.