The Victorian government has denied stacking a fire service board to secure a controversial pay deal.
President Andi Diamond quit her role on the Metropolitan Fire Brigade board after it pushed through the workplace agreement with the United Firefighters Union on Thursday.
It's been reported the decision was carried four-to-three and that the decisive vote was cast by a new board member appointed by the government a week ago.
Emergency Services Minister James Merlino on Friday played down both Ms Diamond's resignation and the appointment.
"People make decisions to move on to other activities, people make decisions to resign," he told reporters.
"This is a normal part of being on the board and vacancies arise and vacancies are filled."
Ms Diamond said she did not think it right to remain on the board after the pay deal was agreed to.
She became the latest in a string of key MFB and CFA leaders to quit as part of contentious pay deals, which have been under negotiation since 2013.
The new agreement now has to go to a staff vote.
Attorney-General Martin Pakula also "entirely rejected" suggestions the government interfered with the release of a Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission report into bullying and harassment within the brigades.
The United Firefighters' Union lost a Supreme Court bid to block the report's release and is now appealing the decision.
"The reason the VEOHRC report has not yet been released is that it's tied up in court proceedings," Mr Pakula said.
The opposition is calling on the government to explain the new board appointment and says it fears the deal is unsafe because it allows the union to veto fire chiefs' decisions.
"The costings that have gone through in our parliamentary committees have been over a billion dollars for delivery of these EBAs but the biggest concern for us is community safety - you are taking the power away from the chief," emergency services spokesman Brad Battin said.
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