Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

HISTORICAL FACTS: 2 - The Untold Story

Billions spent on consultants amid integrity concerns

Australia is spending billions on consulting services despite transparency issues and conflicts of interests, prompting calls to regulate the industry.

AAP

PwC to face scrutiny over advice to clients that might allegedly ‘mislead or subvert’ foreign investment review board

ATO discloses concerns that date back to 2019 in response to questions from Greens senator Barbara Pocock

The Guardian - AU

Submissions, witnesses, questions … then nothing. Australian government cites ‘passage of time’ for silence on reports

Dozens of parliamentary reports dating back as far as 2008 have suddenly received the same sad 24-word response, saying their findings are from too long ago to justify more

The Guardian - AU

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Interim PwC boss 'disappointed' to leave mid-crisis

The former acting head of PwC says she'd wanted to lead the company after a tax leak scandal, but wasn't surprised an international recruit was brought in.

AAP

‘Nearly a billion dollars’: BoM chief indicates cost of IT overhaul to staff after refusing to disclose to senators

Exclusive: January 2023 video shows Andrew Johnson detailing Robust project’s initial and ongoing costs, despite telling senators such details were bound by cabinet secrecy

The Guardian - AU

‘Incredible failure’: KPMG rejects claims it assessed ‘the wrong company’ before $423m payment to Paladin

Exclusive: Firm’s denial comes after weeks of intense criticism, including accusations that it misled parliament

The Guardian - AU

‘Deadly serious’: Australian regulators criticise PwC refusal to hand over report into tax leaks

Consultancy’s global executive says report suggests there’s no evidence confidential information was used for commercial gain

The Guardian - AU

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Closing loopholes bill: the right to disconnect and five other changes coming to Australian workplaces

Laws agreed by Labor, Greens and David Pocock allows casuals to more easily apply to become permanent and may increase pay in gig economy

The Guardian - AU

Right to disconnect from work laws set to pass Australian parliament after deals with crossbench

Adam Bandt says changes to industrial relations bill mean ‘when you clock off, you’ll be able to switch off’

The Guardian - AU

Labor’s same-job, same-pay laws pass parliament after deal with Lambie and Pocock

Splitting bill means reforms to the gig economy, road transport industry and casual work will have to wait until 2024

The Guardian - AU

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Greens Barbara Pocock on the quest for greater transparency

Greens Senator Barbara Pocock – who has a background in economics and industrial relations and formerly worked at the Reserve Bank, in the federal public service and as an academic – has been in parliament only since the 2022 election, But she has already made a mark.

The Conversation

EY fired Australian partner accused of promoting tax minimisation scheme, letter published by Senate inquiry reveals

The former partner is accused of receiving more than $700,000 in unauthorised payments from clients, letter says

The Guardian - AU

Westpac axes PwC as embattled firm announces job cuts

Westpac has ended its relationship with external auditor PwC as the under-fire firm continues to face setbacks after a leaking scandal.

AAP

Big four consultancy firm partners could be banned from being on board of regulator after PwC scandal

Greens say Labor has agreed to stop senior executives or partners at firms from becoming board members of Tax Practitioners Board

The Guardian - AU

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Guardian - AU

Powerful US and UK committees lobbied to pressure PwC to release report sought in Australia

Exclusive: Richard Colbeck urged counterparts to seek document used to clear firm’s partners of wrongdoing

The Guardian - AU

‘This is not over’: Treasury flags further action against PwC Australia over additional breaches of confidence

Exclusive: Move comes after firm admits partner forwarded papers related to confidential consultation with treasury and ATO officials to colleagues

The Guardian - AU

PwC tax leak scandal not isolated to Australia, senators claim

Accounting firm says no evidence confidential information used by partners outside Australia for commercial gain

AAP

Bid to crack down on billions of dollars lost in super

The Greens are campaigning to criminalise superannuation theft, which costs Australian workers more than $3 billion a year.

Get all your
news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One news app.

The Guardian - AU

Greens want superannuation theft made a crime in Labor’s workplace bill

Senator Barbara Pocock says unpaid super is costing workers at least $3.3bn a year, while wage theft losses are about $1.3bn

The Guardian - AU

Victorian government hired KPMG to consult on tobacco changes despite firm’s links to industry

Transparency advocates condemn arrangement as ‘appalling’ while health department refuses to say how much consultancy was paid

The Guardian - AU

Two-thirds of Australia’s aged care safety inspections outsourced to consultants

Exclusive: Watchdog has contracted third-party providers to conduct audits despite a review warning it’s a ‘significant risk’

The Guardian - AU

Victoria paid EY more than $30m for Covid pandemic health projects

Public health expert says value of contracts cannot be assessed as they are described using ‘waffle words generated by the obfuscation machine’

The Guardian - AU

PwC did not disclose any conflicts of interest before winning aged care auditing contract

Consulting firm’s contract to audit the Morrison government’s workforce bonus program remains suspended, department confirms

The Guardian - AU

Bureau of Meteorology super computer delays ‘very concerning’ ahead of summer

Exclusive: Insiders say ‘stuff-ups’ have occurred despite millions being spent on consultants, as senator warns of high stakes in ‘what could be a catastrophic fire season’

The Guardian - AU

Finance department hires consultant to advise on hiring consultants in move compared to ABC’s Utopia

Exclusive: Department’s $32,000 contract, which comes after PwC tax leak scandal, slammed as ‘laughable scenario’

1 2 3 4 5

People

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Organisations

The Bureau of Meteorology

252 stories

FWC

190 stories

The Fair Work Commission

Read news from The Economist, FT, and more,
with one subscription

Topics

Places

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.