Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey look set to be compelled to face a Senate inquiry into conflicts of interest and poor behaviour by private sector consultants, as Labor and the Greens call the firms’ bluff on giving evidence to parliament.

The inquiry, triggered by the PwC tax leaks scandal exposed by The Australian Financial Review, wants to question local executives from the global strategy firms on their lucrative government consulting work. So far, they have refused to make time to answer the committee’s questions.