Overview
- The Court of Appeal on Thursday refused to allow pseudonym orders for two parties challenging an IBAC special report, upholding a lower court judge's decision that their identities should not be hidden.
- One media report says the applicants include United Firefighters Union boss Peter Marshall and the UFU itself but the legal challenge will be heard in closed court so many details remain confidential.
- A closed, substantive hearing in the Supreme Court is scheduled for June 24 to decide whether the watchdog's Operation Richmond report can be tabled in Victorian parliament and the court proceedings have already delayed the report's planned publication.
- Counsel for the applicants argued naming them would spark lasting speculation and prevent their public rebuttal because law limits what can be said about unreleased IBAC reports while media lawyers and IBAC said openness serves the public interest.
- IBAC commissioner Victoria Elliott has urged law changes to allow greater transparency about investigations and the dispute raises broader questions about balancing open justice with reputation and privacy protections.