Yesterday
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.
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”.
This Month
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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ian Silk appointed chairman of rebranded Sayers Group
The former AustralianSuper head will oversee the consulting firm founded by the ex-PwC partner, which has been rebranded Tenet after a lewd photo scandal.
Treasury prepares to crack down on audit firms, with or without ASIC
Officials are considering handing the corporate regulator the power to punish major accounting and consulting firms for the first time, among other options.
June
Consulting downturn bites as big four partner exits speed up
Australian partner numbers across Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC are down 500, to almost 2900 partners, since the 2023 peak.
Law firms take more graduates even as AI does the grunt work
Using generative AI for junior-level work is now standard across the country’s largest law firms, but the overriding need for accuracy in legal work means graduates remain in high demand.
The new EY partner who’s not afraid to make a ‘captain’s call’
The new partner handles service delivery issues, connects her clients to global EY services and makes the “captain’s call” on what is pitched to clients.