She likened the bushfires commission to a kangaroo court and said she believed she was left to fight it out alone when savaged by counsel assisting the commission, Rachel Doyle SC.

Ms Nixon also claims she was the victim of a "fattest" campaign, referring to an unflattering picture of her eating a cake published in The Australian, while several people argued that "my size" was a factor in the controversies surrounding her.

Asked on radio 3AW today whether "sexist" or "fattist" attitudes played any part in Ms Nixon's downfall, Mr Davies said those claims were nonsense.

"The only person who destroyed Christine Nixon's reputation was Christine Nixon," Mr Davies said. "Criticisms that were levelled at her were for what she did to the police force here in trying to turn it into something that she thought would have been lovely for everyone, and in effect emasculated it, and for the appalling way in which she didn't deal with this state's biggest-ever crisis back on Black Saturday."

Mr Davies said women had advanced to the most senior ranks of Victoria Police.