February
KPMG pulls DEI reports from website after Trump pressure
The big four firm in the United States has become the latest government contractor to ditch DEI targets.
The graduate employment boom is losing steam
Graduates can still find employer programs straight out of university, but it’s becoming tougher as the employment market retreats from boom time to just good times.
Dozens of PwC China partners step aside after audit ban
The disclosure suggests the big four firm has lost state-owned and finance sector clients.
January
KordaMentha raids KPMG to create new defence advisory business
The new consulting offering will be established as the big four firm’s once-mainstay defence practice continues to erode under a broader government crackdown.
Rivers to shut down, closing 136 stores and making hundreds redundant
The brand was owned by Mosaic Brands, an ASX-listed retailer which fell into administration in October. Another of its chains, Katies, was closed in December.
Internal figures show true cost of Endeavour’s split with Woolworths
The retailer behind BWS and Dan Murphy’s has never disclosed the cost of its 2021 separation from the supermarket giant, but it seems more than many expected.
BDO poaches big-four talent as partnership hits record high
The country’s fifth-largest accounting firm by revenue has surpassed the 300-partner milestone as it ropes in staff from larger rivals.
December 2024
EY sues five partners who left for Alvarez & Marsal
The civil action comes as EY’s leadership asks at least eight partners to leave as part of a cost-cutting exercise.
How accountants will help save the planet
The once humble accountant will be key to supporting the transition to net zero.
Mosaic Brands receivers close Katies chain, 480 jobs to go
KPMG said it would close all 80 stores run by the womenswear brand, and another 80 owned by the company. Mosaic had already closed 200 shops to avoid collapse.
‘Eat what you kill:’ how this consultancy is taking on the big four
Alvarez & Marsal’s remuneration model means managing directors can potentially earn multiples of the average big four partner pay.
What Defence spent on consultants could run submarine fleet for a year
What would Defence’s $811 million in spending on the big five consulting firms in 2022-23 buy? Turns out the answer is quite a lot.
November 2024
Rise in underlying inflation to keep rates pressure on RBA
Trimmed mean inflation increased to 3.5 per cent in October from 3.2 per cent in September, even as headline inflation remained unchanged at 2.1 per cent.
The big winners as scandal forces big four into retreat
Mid-sized firms such as those run by Steve Meyn of PKF, Jamie O’Rourke of RSM and Annabelle Clare of Walshs had their best year on record as clients move away from out-of-favour big players.
What the inquiry into the structure of the big four firms recommended
A summary of the key recommendations from the joint parliamentary inquiry into the structure of the big four consulting firms and what they mean for the sector.
Capping big four partnerships would ’cause great disruption’
Two conservative members of an inquiry committee that recommended capping accounting partnerships at 400 said the move would be an “extraordinary intervention” by the government.
Bonfire of the rent-seekers at the Clean Energy Council
The peak renewables industry group is seeking four new directors. Some 37 want on.
Ex-lawyer reveals why internal PwC probe failed to find tax leak
PwC Australia’s former general counsel says her initial investigation into potential breaches of confidentiality by a former partner did not detect problems because partners gave her inadequate evidence to examine.
Labor cuts spending on major consulting firms by $891m over two years
The value of Commonwealth work outsourced to Accenture, Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PWC is down to $1.5 billion since Labor took power in mid-2022.
$500m in Canberra consulting to be slashed
Consulting firms working for Defence, the NDIS and the Tax Office will be hardest hit by a new plan to strip more than $500 million in work from the embattled advisory sector this financial year.