Overview
- Justice Claire Harris rejected the United Firefighters Union and Peter Marshall’s attempt to stop publication on Friday, July 3, clearing the immediate legal obstacle to IBAC releasing the Operation Richmond report.
- IBAC had planned to publish the report by July 1 but the union’s May injunction application delayed that timetable and led to a closed hearing that examined confidential report material.
- The court declined to publish the judge’s written reasons because they refer extensively to IBAC’s confidential findings, keeping key legal analysis and report excerpts out of the public record for now.
- Marshall and the UFU had argued that IBAC exceeded its statutory powers by using the watchdog’s education and prevention roles to justify making the report public, an argument the judge found insufficient.
- The investigation, opened in 2018, probes a contentious 2016 enterprise agreement that reshaped Victoria’s fire services by creating Fire Rescue Victoria and that change prompted resignations and ongoing political scrutiny, and the parties will return to court to consider next steps including a possible appeal.