Yet another high profile Victorian fire service officer has quit as the Emergency Services Minister labelled federal intervention in the CFA dispute a "farce".
David Youssef, one of four deputy chief officers at the MFB, has quit weeks after chief officer Peter Rau stood down.
Mr Youssef is leaving after 31 years to "pursue other opportunities", while Mr Rau stood down over what his wife said was union bullying.
"David has been a committed, passionate firefighter for more than 31 years and has played an invaluable role in MFB operations and community safety for decades," MFB chief executive Jim Higgins said on Monday.
Volunteers say the controversial CFA pay deal would hand the United Firefighters Union too much power, and the dispute has claimed a number of key figures in Victoria's fire services.
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Former minister Jane Garrett, CFA chief executive Lucinda Nolan, CFA chief fire officer Joe Buffone and Mr Rau all quit, while the CFA board was sacked.
The dispute attracted intervention from the federal government, which now has the support of One Nation to amend the Fair Work Act to protect the role of volunteers.
"What we're seeing from the federal government ... has been a political stunt since the beginning and continues to be so," Victorian Emergency Services Minister James Merlino told reporters on Monday.
"We've had the farce of the federal employment minister being caught out lying on issues ... and we've had the farce of the Senate inquiry looking at an agreement that was an old version that didn't include the specific provisions to protect the role of our volunteers."
The legislation - which passed the lower house in Canberra in mid-September - aims to protect volunteers by ensuring enterprise agreements can't undermine the ability of emergency service organisations to properly manage their volunteer operations.
National Farmers' Federation president Brent Finlay said passing the Bill was important in guarding against "dodgy deals" designed to overrule state volunteer firefighter laws.
Nationals MP Darren Chester said Premier Daniel Andrews, who pushed through the CFA deal against the opposition of then-minister Jane Garrett, should stop being stubborn.
"He can't be the only person who's right, there are a lot of people who expressed concerns about the legislation and the direction he's taking, and he refused to listen to them," Mr Chester told AAP.
