The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission will host a series of community meetings behind closed doors – a decision criticised by the state’s opposition and media.

But Royal Commissioner Justice Bernard Teague says sessions will not be formal hearings and people have a right to disclose sensitive information in relative privacy.

Community consultations for fire-affected communities will be held between March 18 and April 8.

Major media and opposition representatives have cited a pledge by Premier John Brumby that “Victorians rightly want and deserve to know all the details about how the bushfires occurred”.