Victoria’s corruption watchdog is poised to release a bombshell report into alleged secret deals struck between the Andrews government and the firefighters union, with MPs and Labor insiders bracing for the fallout.

The explosive findings could be tabled in the Victorian parliament as early as this week, and the Sunday Herald Sun can reveal for the first time that the original probe by authorities was triggered by a referral from one of Labor’s own.

The state’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission is preparing to hand its final report on Operation Richmond to parliament, this development comes after multiple delays spanning the seven years since the investigation first began.

The highly secretive probe launched in 2019 centred on enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations that took place in 2016 between the powerful United Firefighters Union and the Andrews government. Those negotiations ultimately led to the splitting of the state’s fire services into Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA).

It’s understood key to the probe are closed-door meetings between Andrews government members and firefighters’ union boss Peter Marshall.

The EBA dispute was a massive issue for the government in 2016, prompting former Victorian Emergency Services Minister Jane Garrett to famously resign from Cabinet as former Premier Daniel Andrews sought

to push a disputed enterprise agreement with the firefighters’ union through.

Ms Garrett, who died in 2022 from breast cancer at age 49, staunchly opposed to the deal being negotiated, which prompted her to stand down.

She had also previously accused union boss Peter Marshall of making serious personal threats against her and her staff, including threatening to put an axe in her head, an allegation Mr Marshall has always furiously denied.

After her standing down, Mr Andrews moved to split the fire services in a bid to end the industrial dispute.

The Operation Richmond investigation has been the most secretive in the state’s history, with those hauled before the inquiry barred from speaking publicly and little is known about the original referral and the ongoing probe.

Some Allan government MPs say state members are bracing for potential fallout once the document lands, and are concerned it will compound the public’s perception of integrity concerns with unions due to the CFMEU Big Build scandal.

Several sources told the Herald Sun that Mr Marshall’s years-long attempt to block the investigation results from being made public was a clear sign of damaging evidence.

“The amount of money that’s been spent on legal matters to do with this report coming out is just astronomical, so obviously its not good” one Labor MP said.

However, others have pointed to the drawn-out nature of the legal battles as evidence that IBAC’s powers need strengthening, which the state government have finally committed to do.

Another government MP said many were not convinced the report will be an issue as it may not find corrupt findings, and is so old that the public would likely not be held against the Allan government.

The Integrity Oversight Committee tabled a report in December 2025, proposing 31 recommendations to bolster IBAC’s legislative framework, with investigations and reporting delays on Operation Richmond being raised as an issue in the hearings.

There have been several legal challenges to block the report from being released since the draft report was handed over to those involved several years ago.

In the most recent battle in the Supreme Court, anonymous applicants sought to suppress the report’s release at the eleventh hour, before the Supreme Court unmasked them in June 2026 as the UFU and Mr Marshall.

This was despite Mr Marshall claiming on camera at the Labor state conference that the applicant was not himself.

“Whatever is in it, it must be bad for someone, and that most likely is the UFU and Peter Marshall, given how many times he’s tried to keep it under wraps,” a senior union source told the Herald Sun.

Operation Richmond is one of the longest running corruption investigations in Victoria’s history with many pointing out it has lasted longer than some world wars.

While very little is known publicly about it, it’s been revealed previously that both Peter Marshall and former Premier Daniel Andrews were among those who were quizzed in hearings.

The Victorian Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) issued a statement in July saying it was “pleased” with the Supreme Court’s July 2026 decision to dismiss a legal challenge against issuing the report publicly.

“Reporting to parliament and the public on IBAC’s investigative findings is a crucial part of our role in exposing and preventing corruption and misconduct in Victoria.”

But they have declined to announce a date the report will be tabled in parliament.

Peter Marshall was contacted for comment.