About a quarter of all ASX200 companies spend more than 40 per cent of their fees with their auditor on non-audit work, creating concern about the independence of the financial inspection work.

The 2018 financial reports of the 200 largest listed companies revealed Crown Resorts, Qantas, Whitehaven Coal and Webjet were among more than 50 companies where the auditor was almost as likely to be doing non-audit work as they were to be carrying out their statutory auditing role.