The Country Fire Authority has denied any wrongdoing following allegations it withheld “crucial” information from the committee investigating the chemicals scandal at the Fiskville training site.
Last week, State Parliament’s environment, natural resources and regional development committee tabled a report outlining concerns about CFA co-operation with its investigation.
Committee chairwoman Bronwyn Halfpenny said that in the time since it issued several summons notices, only 100 of the CFA’s 739 board meeting minutes since the 1970s had been handed over.
In a statement to Star Weekly, CFA chief executive Lucinda Nolan said all documents requested by the committee were handed to the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office (VGSO), which is representing the authority.
“The VGSO has determined many of the documents may be subject to a claim of ‘executive privilege’ by the government, while others were not relevant,” Ms Nolan said.
“It’s a matter for the government to determine whether those documents can be provided to the inquiry.”
In the report tabled in Parliament last week, a number of issues were raised about the documents handed – and not handed – over by the VGSO.
The committee expressed concerns about the slow and ad hoc production of documents, duplication of documents, filtering of information, claims that existing documents no longer existed and extensive redaction of material.
Asked by the committee for meeting papers, the VGSO stated in a letter dated September 11 that “searching to date indicates that meeting papers prior to 1996 no longer exist”.
Subsequently, the committee asked for an explanation as to why the papers no longer existed and was told by the VGSO that after a thorough search the CFA “have now located an archived cache of material”.
“The committee is concerned by the claim that board papers prior to 1996 no longer exist,” the report states.
“It is a claim that may not have been retracted had the committee not requested further explanation.”
A government spokesman said it was working with the VGSO to ensure information was released as quickly as possible.
