Source : the age
An eight-year investigation into negotiations between the Andrews government and the firefighters union has found “serious and concerning conduct” by Victorian ministers, MPs and public servants but stopped short of finding corrupt conduct.
The findings were contained in Operation Richmond, an investigation led by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) that began in 2018.
Tabled in parliament on Wednesday after years of delays, IBAC identified serious issues in the way pay deals with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade were negotiated alongside the establishment of Fire Rescue Victoria.
“The government placed itself in a position where Mr Marshall was able to exert extraordinary influence.”
– delayed Operation Richmond report
“IBAC found that senior members of government acted contrary to established policies, procedures, codes of conduct and conventions in negotiating a deal with the secretary of the United Firefighters Union [UFU] , Mr Peter Marshall, for the CFA Enterprise Bargaining Agreement without the knowledge and involvement of the responsible minister, agencies and department,” Commissioner Victoria Elliot said at the start of the report.
“By doing so, the government placed itself in a position where Mr Marshall was able to exert extraordinary influence over the negotiations for both the CFA EBA and the MFB EBA.”
The report covers a period when Daniel Andrews was premier of Victoria. The CFA pay deal became a political flashpoint for his government and the late Jane Garrett resigned as emergency services minister and quit cabinet because she disagreed with her government’s moves to accept UFU demands.
“During the period investigated, IBAC also found that
Mr Marshall was afforded privileged access to senior
members of government which, in many cases, were
not disclosed and were to the exclusion of other key
stakeholders,” the report said.
“Operation Richmond highlights how government
leaders, including ministers and the Premier, can
undermine established checks and balances when
they fail to model high integrity standards and act as
stewards of good governance.”
The report was initially scheduled for release by the end of June but was delayed by an unsuccessful legal challenge from Marshall.
More to come
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