How a bitter firefighters' pay dispute turned toxic in Victoria

A "handshake" deal brokered in a hotel room between the Victorian government and the firefighters' union a decade ago has finally been detailed, following a lengthy investigation. The overdue Operation Richmond report from IBAC, published on Wednesday, stopped short of uncovering corrupt conduct but revealed that former Premier Daniel Andrews and his senior staff had circumvented the Westminster system and codes of conduct.

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Off doing my secret mission

This was done to achieve a politically expedient outcome with the United Firefighters Union (UFU) in 2016, amidst a bitter and protracted pay dispute. Text messages revealed that the then-special minister of state, Gavin Jennings, described his actions as being on a "secret mission" and engaged in "secret business." He was secretly holed up in a hotel room with union secretary Peter Marshall, who had booked the room, along with then-Department of Premier and Cabinet deputy secretary Tony Bates.

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Handshake has occurred, it's done!

Jennings texted Andrews after the final meeting, stating, "Handshake has occurred, it's done!" The then-premier replied, "Very good." The investigation found that Marshall had taken a photo of his UFU negotiators toasting with champagne glasses and sparkling wine bottles, with an unnamed senator present, celebrating the agreement. The following day, Andrews and Marshall staged a meeting at the premier's office to have a staffer witness the "UFU's proposal" being delivered to Jane Garrett, the minister responsible for the emergency services portfolio.

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Very good

Neither Garrett nor the staffer were aware that the proposal had already been finalized in a hotel room. The report detailed text messages indicating Andrews wanted the then-treasurer Tim Pallas to "sit Garrett down and give her a very blunt assessment about the career paths currently in front of her." Ultimately, Garrett refused to endorse the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) deal and resigned from cabinet due to her concerns that the proposal would weaken the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and cost taxpayers significantly. Garrett died four years ago from breast cancer.

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sit Garrett down and give her a very blunt assessment about the career paths currently in front of her