Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has refused to say whether he has been interviewed as part of a probe into the state government's dealings with the firefighters' union.
The state's anti-corruption watchdog sent letters to several people this week to confirm its investigation is "nearing completion" and advise an order outlawing them from commenting publicly has been deemed invalid, according to multiple media outlets.
The Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission has been investigating the United Firefighters Union's role in Victoria's fire services reform since 2019.
The Victorian government's reforms involved merging of Metropolitan Fire Brigade members and career Country Fire Authority firefighters into the new Fire Rescue Victoria.
The UFU championed the reforms, while volunteer firefighters and the Victorian opposition said it would hand the union too much power.
The reforms passed parliament with the help of crossbenchers in 2019 after more than four years of negotiations between the government, the fire services and the union, during which Mr Andrews reportedly intervened.
Speaking outside parliament, the premier repeatedly declined to confirm whether or not he had been interviewed as part of the probe despite its veil of secrecy seemingly lifting as part of an unrelated court decision.
"The last thing I need to be doing is running a public commentary over a process that may or may not be live," Mr Andrews told reporters on Wednesday.
"That is not my job, it is not appropriate and I simply won't do it."
He didn't dispute letters from IBAC had been sent but wasn't aware if he or his office had received one.
"If you want to know who letters have been sent to, who they've been received by ... then you should speak to (IBAC)," Mr Andrews said.
But the commission refused to comment on the reports.
"As a matter of practice, IBAC does not comment on whether it has a complaint or investigation before it," an IBAC spokesperson said in a statement.
It is understood IBAC can issue confidentiality notices banning people from disclosing information on a "restricted matter" that may prejudice an investigation, the safety or reputation of a person, or a fair trial of someone yet to be charged.
A "restricted matter" can include evidence, the existence of a confidentiality notice or summons, or the mere fact a person has been or is set to be examined.
But following a separate Court of Appeal ruling in December, the confidentiality notice was found to be invalid due to a drafting issue
IBAC chief executive Marlo Baragwanath said the commission has contacted past confidentiality notice recipients to advise they are no longer bound by it or re-issued another, where necessary.
Despite it being unclear whether Mr Andrews was notified, opposition emergency services spokesman Brad Battin said the Mr Andrews needed to "come clean".
"He's got no excuses any more," he said.
