Victoria's Environment Minister Lisa Neville has strongly rejected the "false accusations" that she intervened to stop a planned burn-off due to widespread media coverage of a local koala cull in March last year.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Ms Neville said it was not in her power to alter a planned burn-off, as those were "operational decisions" and could only legally be stopped by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning secretary.
"I have at no stage intervened to stop a planned burn and in fact, it is not in my power to do that," she said.
Addressing the issue of a note leaked in a "burn journal" from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Ms Neville reiterated it was not an "official document" and therefore had no influence.
"This is not a formal document of Parliament, and it does not go to any information at the scene of operation staff," she said.
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"It has no name against it so it does not indicate who wrote it. It is not a decision-making document."
Ms Neville said official documents clearly showed that the planned burn-off between Wye River and Kennett River, scheduled for March 27, did not happen because it was too wet.
"The night before, the area received 6mm of rain, and on the day of the planned burn they received 16mm of rain, so it got too wet to undertake (the burn-off)," she said.
She was supported by DELWP Chief Fire Officer, Alan Goodwin, who reiterated the conditions were too wet despite fire crews being keen for the burn to go as usual.
Mr Goodwin said the note was "obviously a misinterpretation of the facts" and that Ms Neville has never raised concerns about koalas with him.
The fire, now contained, destroyed 116 houses in Wye River and nearby Separation Creek and has burned more than 2500 hectares, much of it thick forest in rugged Otway Ranges back country.
