IBAC report finds 'serious and concerning' conduct in Victoria's firefighters' pay dispute

Consensus Summary

In April 2016, then-Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews secretly authorised negotiations with United Firefighters Union (UFU) secretary Peter Marshall to resolve a bitter pay dispute with the Country Fire Authority (CFA). The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) later found that these talks—conducted by Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings and Department of Premier and Cabinet deputy secretary Tony Bates in rented meeting spaces and a hotel—were kept hidden from the CFA, responsible minister Jane Garrett, and even the Fair Work Commission. The deal was finalised on April 12, 2016, with Jennings texting Andrews, 'Handshake has occurred – it’s done!' The following day, a staged meeting at Treasury Place presented the agreement as a union proposal, misleading cabinet members into believing it had not been pre-negotiated by government officials.

The dispute had simmered since 2013, escalating into a political flashpoint after the Labor government took office in 2014. The UFU had aggressively campaigned against the previous Coalition government, distributing 300,000 how-to-vote cards during the 2014 election. By early 2015, negotiations for a new enterprise agreement had stalled, and by 2016, Andrews lost confidence in Garrett’s ability to resolve the impasse. The IBAC investigation, launched in 2018 after allegations of blackmail (later unsubstantiated), uncovered a pattern of secretive deal-making that excluded key stakeholders, including the CFA board and the Fair Work Commission. The report also revealed that Marshall had 'privileged access' to senior ministers, including Andrews and later Lisa Neville, who became emergency services minister in 2018.

Key figures responded sharply to the IBAC findings. Marshall dismissed the report as a 'witch hunt,' arguing that eight years and an estimated $8 million in public funds had yielded no corruption findings. He accused IBAC of using 'intrusive surveillance methods' and called for an investigation into the watchdog’s own conduct. Andrews, in a statement, rejected claims of wrongdoing, emphasising that the dispute 'needed to be resolved in the public interest.' Garrett, who resigned from cabinet in June 2016 after opposing the deal, had described Marshall as 'relentless and abusive' in her evidence to IBAC. Her family later welcomed the report’s release, stating she had refused to endorse the agreement because it conflicted with her ministerial oath. Jennings, meanwhile, provided text messages to IBAC that painted Marshall as volatile, once describing him as 'a violin string about to break.'

While all sources agree on the core events—such as the secret negotiations, the staged meeting, and Garrett’s resignation—they differ in emphasis and detail. The Guardian and ABC both highlight Marshall’s late-night communications with government officials, including texts sent between 1am and 3am, but only the Guardian explicitly notes that Andrews received calls from Marshall at 4am. TheAge provides additional context on the broader culture of the Andrews government, framing the CFA pay deal as the 'origin story' for later scandals involving politicisation and lack of transparency. The ABC, meanwhile, focuses on the intrusive methods used by IBAC, including raids on Marshall’s office and home, and the emotional toll on figures like Garrett, who died in July 2022. The Guardian also underscores the legal limitations of IBAC’s mandate, arguing that Victoria’s narrow definition of corrupt conduct prevents the watchdog from addressing serious misconduct that falls short of criminal offences.

The IBAC report’s release in 2023—after years of legal delays—has reignited calls for reform of Victoria’s anti-corruption laws. Integrity experts, including former Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass, argue that the current definition of corrupt conduct is outdated and fails to address 'serious and concerning' behaviour that undermines public trust. The report itself warns that the vulnerabilities exposed—such as improper influence, failures in ministerial conduct, and politicisation of public sector boards—persist in Victoria’s government. Current Premier Ben Carroll has pledged to strengthen IBAC, though details of proposed reforms remain unclear. Marshall, for his part, continues to deny any wrongdoing, framing the investigation as a politically motivated 'pursuit in search of a case that never existed.'