Victorian firefighters who get cancer because of their job will get a presumptive right to compensation under new state laws.
They will apply to career and volunteer firefighters who have served for the "relevant" number of years, and have been diagnosed with one of a list of cancers after June 1, 2016.
"This will mean rather than having to stand on the court house steps, proving that your cancer came from your firefighting, you will get that presumption," Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Friday.
"Then you'll get a merits-based process to properly compensate you based on your unique and individual circumstances ... and contribution to firefighting across our state."
Mr Andrews said in the worst case scenario the scheme would cost $50 million a year, but he expected it would be much less.
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He also promised to help firefighters who got cancer after training at Fiskville, the CFA training facility where unknown toxic chemicals were burned and buried for decades.
"We will make further announcements about a proper redress scheme for those who were for too long lied to," Mr Andrews said.
"It's their families we now deal with because they themselves are no longer with us anymore."
The presumptive rights will apply for a 10 year post-service limit and there will be no requirement that volunteer firefighters have attended a specific number of fires.
The new laws were announced on the same day the government announced a break up of the CFA to end a controversial union pay dispute.
Opposition leader Matthew Guy said presumptive rights legislation made sense.
"I think that's a good move but I don't see why that's being linked to having to break up the CFA," he told 3AW.
