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Edmund Tadros

Today

Former prime minister Paul Keating .

ATO will ‘follow up’ decision to waive Keating’s $1m tax penalty

The remission of a general interest charge happened after tax authorities initially refused to write off the charge for interest and penalties.

Yesterday

Andrew Nipe, the head of Australian Government Consulting, discuses how the business unit of the fledgling service at The Australian Financial Review Government Services Summit on Tuesday afternoon.

The public sector unit saving Canberra millions on private consultants

The in-house government consultant says it’s been well received, with about 75 per cent of its public service clients saying it’s better than the private sector.

This Month

The Australian Taxation Office.

ATO cuts tax penalty waiver approval rate from 90pc to 70pc

The Tax Office receives tens of thousands of requests each year for remission of general interest charges.

NSW’s residential construction market has historically had little unionisation, compared with the broader sector.

‘Killing the Australian dream’: Liberal slams CFMEU expansion push

Senator Andrew Bragg says a push by the union’s NSW branch to recruit members in the multistorey residential construction sector will push up prices.

afr

Majority of requests to waiver tax penalties are approved: ATO

The revelation follows claims by a tax lawyer that the waivers are now mainly granted only in cases that involve natural disaster or serious illness.

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Former Australian PM Paul Keating was a major shareholder in Lake Technology, and profits from the sale of his shares are at the core of the alleged tax dispute.

Calls for transparency after Keating’s $1m tax bill waiver

Experts warn that new laws making penalties non-deductible will increase the incentive for taxpayers to privately petition the ATO to cancel their debts.

Michelle Hinchliffe, director of BHP and Macquarie.

Macquarie director still part of audit selection despite KPMG past

Glenn Stevens, the chairman of the finance giant, said Michelle Hinchliffe would be involved and concerns about any conflict of interest was “silly talk”.

Former prime minister Paul Keating.

ATO waived Paul Keating’s $1m tax bill: ABC’s Four Corners

Tax authorities wrote off the penalty owed by the former prime minister via one of his companies in 2015, according to Four Corners.

The KPMG head office in Barangaroo, Sydney. The firm is chasing big audit contracts including at Macquarie.

From Seek to Wesfarmers, major audits up for grabs as firms circle

Some of the market’s most lucrative and long-held contracts are being fought over as professional services rivals try to nab millions of dollars in new work.

PwC Australia sells restructuring arm to Teneo for millions

The New York-based firm will create a new local financial services advisory business led by outgoing PwC partner Stephen Longley.

Former KPMG partners hired by FTI Consulting as senior managing directors (L-R): Natalie Faulkner, Nathan Schlesinger and Warren Dunn.

The advisory firms thriving on the big four talent exodus

With more than half their senior ranks coming from the big four consulting firms, FTI and Alvarez & Marsal are growing rapidly by targeting rainmakers.

The KPMG head office in Barangaroo, Sydney. The firm has seen the value of contracts with the government slump by two-thirds.

KPMG feels the burn of $200m in public service consulting cuts

The firm once counted $500 million in revenues from government agencies. While it and its peers have fallen out of favour, one rival has doubled its business.

Aylin Cunsolo

‘Generational challenge’: Energy transition powers legal sector

Ashurst partner Aylin Cunsolo says Australia is at a critical point where ageing fossil fuel generators are being retired and need to be replaced.

Hannah Fas

Why more artificial intelligence also means more lawyers

Artificial intelligence tools can accelerate the careers of savvy lawyers who know how to make careful use of the technology.

The Macquarie headquarters in Sydney. A role auditing the company is one of the most coveted for major professional services firms.

KPMG, EY frontrunners to snatch coveted Macquarie audit role from PwC

Working on the investment and banking giant’s books is one of the most complex jobs for an accounting firm, but one that promises a significant windfall.

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Emma Reilly

The simple secrets to this law firm’s gender parity

The 120-partner Moray & Agnew has more than doubled the number of women in its partnership.

What I learnt in 3 months as an MBA student at a top US school

It takes two years and costs $400,000-plus, and on top of the study requires role playing, “crop circles” and speed networking. Students say it’s worth it for a starting salary of nearly $300,000.

Clockwise from top left: EY Australia CEO David Larocca, and Alvarez & Marsal managing directors (and former EY partners) Sean Keegan, Andrew Sharp, Jagmohan Singh, Adam Woodward and Edward Consett.

Judge references Oliver Twist, Goldilocks in EY win over defections

The firm won the right for a trove of documents over the defection of partners to a rival in a case likened to the expression “Please, sir, I want some more”.

Explore the Law Partnership Survey results for the first half of 2025

Firms are performing strongly, thanks to demand for advice around corporate disputes, energy transition and infrastructure deals.

Law firm leaders (l-r) Kristin Stammer, Paul Jenkins and Emma Covacevich.

Revealed: The law firms that have grown (and shrunk) the most

Strong demand for corporate dispute, energy transition and infrastructure legal advice has created a two-speed legal market.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/by/edmund-tadros-j7gem