Overview
- The Independent Broad‑based Anti‑corruption Commission concluded on Wednesday that senior ministers, MPs and public servants engaged in "serious and concerning conduct" when they negotiated an undisclosed deal with United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall in 2016.
- IBAC found the deal was struck without the knowledge of the responsible emergency services minister, excluded key agencies and gave Marshall extraordinary access to senior government figures that he used to press bargaining and appointments.
- The probe ran from 2018 and used raids, the private examination of dozens of witnesses, analysis of more than 50 seized devices and lawfully intercepted calls and texts, but it did not substantiate legal definitions of corrupt conduct or blackmail.
- The report recommends new safeguards — a statutory statement of ministerial values, a published Ministerial Handbook and updated training on contact with interest groups — and the Victorian government has said it will adopt those reforms.
- The findings have renewed calls for accountability, with anti‑corruption figures urging review of Peter Marshall’s fitness to lead the UFU while Marshall has rejected IBAC’s conclusions and criticised the watchdog’s investigative methods.