Victoria's opposition will hold a $10 million royal commission into industrial woes in the state's fire services if it wins government but won't examine below-par response times.
Despite multiple reviews and inquiries into the Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Country Fire Authority, the Liberal-National coalition want a new one, insisting only a royal commission will do the job.
"Having a royal commission with powers to compel evidence is the strongest and most direct way at solving a cultural problem in our fire services," Opposition Leader Matthew Guy told reporters on Monday.
According to the draft terms of reference, the commission would examine the departure of former emergency services minister Jane Garrett and fire officials, the influence of the United Firefighters Union, the extent of bullying and harassment and the impacts of pay agreements.
Its announcement coincides with data showing benchmark response times are being missed partly because trucks are hampered by traffic congestion in Melbourne's outer suburbs.
However response times are not among the terms of reference and the main focus will be culture "because that's what we've seen as the major issues for the last two years", Mr Guy said.
The government says a royal commission simply isn't needed.
"After years of denial, Matthew Guy has finally admitted our fire services need reforming," Emergency Services Minister James Merlino said.
"But we don't need a wasteful multi-million dollar review to tell us that. There's already been review after review that has made clear what the problems are."
The agencies have been embroiled in controversy for years, with a recent leaked report finding sexual assaults in the CFA weren't reported and victims were bullied into silence.
Ms Garrett and multiple key executives and leaders from the CFA and MFB quit rather than support pay deals they argued handed too much power to the UFU.
Ms Garrett ordered a review of bullying and harassment in the MFB and CFA but the UFU has gone to the Supreme Court to block the report's public release.
Earlier in 2017 the government tried to split the CFA into a volunteer-only organisation and create a new paid firefighter service in an effort to break a protracted pay dispute but legislation has stalled in the upper house.
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