This Month
The ATO hangs up on waiver requests and EY apes James Cameron’s Avatar
The Tax Office has scrapped phone and text waiver requests in favour of more formal channels. Plus the tax commissioner denies new PwC inquiries are at risk.
Cheaters, finger-pointing and suspension: just a week in accounting
This week’s theme is getting caught and facing consequences. Plus: harassment in the industry and McKinsey cuts.
November
What the numbers tell us about the future of accounting
I’ve crunched the 1100+ data points for the Top 100 Accounting Firms. What have I learned?
BDO and Ashurst chiefs go global, but grad places plummet
It’s contrasting tales of fortune at the top and bottom of Australian firms. Plus: EY cuts 90 positions while Grant Thornton adds 20+ new partners.
With ANZ’s $24m audit soon to be up for grabs, can KPMG keep winning?
A once-in-a-moon landing contract – no, really, it’s been going since 1969 – is expected to go out to tender. Plus: a rough year for PwC spin-off Scyne.
Big four consulting firms targeted by new Senate inquiry
Anyone from a major firm listening to the Senate would have gasped in horror. Plus: Which firm exited 11 over their conduct, and who won audits from EY.
October
PwC wants to talk AI future, but reckons with its tax leak past
Who audits the AI auditors? Just don’t ask about the tax scandal. Plus: “Synthetic customers” and a bar fight.
Tax agents feel unloved by ATO
Professionals blast the ATO’s inconsistent advice and unskilled staff and are left feeling under-appreciated. Plus: an AI-rapping actuary.
EY’s history of curious reports for whoever is willing to pay
The gas and oil lobby is just the latest beneficiary of EY’s ability to find whatever answer its clients are after.
Why ANZ’s CEO loves McKinsey but ‘hates consultants’
Outsourcing is the new enemy as Nuno Matos turns his cost-cutting gaze on consultancy. Plus: a pop star’s decades-long Excel torture.
Grant Thornton’s 180 partners on cusp of private equity mega-payday
A possible sale means figuring out a price tag for the 1500-strong company. Plus: Deloitte’s ongoing AI nightmare.
AI scandal not enough to stop Canberra’s addiction to Deloitte
Even the department which received Deloitte’s error-riddled AI-generated report has signed a new contract with the firm since.
Accenture Australia cuts workforce by 10pc
The previously unpublished figure marks the third straight year of staff cuts. Plus: Kearney joins the Optus oversight melee.
September
Accenture to ‘exit’ staff who cannot be retrained for age of AI
The IT group has detailed a $1.3 billion restructuring program and an outlook that reflects sluggish corporate demand for consulting projects.
Revenue at Sayers’ firm revealed as partners depart
Tenet, the firm formerly known as Sayers, is having a tough time as staff depart and revenue drops. Plus: It’s a university consulting bonanza.
ATO’s interest waiver policy leaves tax advisers incredulous
There are multiple investigations on the go into ATO procedures following complaints. Plus: behold the consulting obelisk.
The PwC tax leaks scandal is far from over
Consequences for former CEO Tom Seymour are just the tip of the investigatory iceberg. Plus: a confession about my reporting.
June
Safety investigation launched at UTS over KPMG’s job slashing plan
It’s unusual for the workplace safety watchdog to investigate white-collar workplaces, but staff anger is at boiling point.
Consultants are cutting more jobs than just ANU’s
The consulting group’s capture of Canberra has extended to the OAIC. How convenient for clients wanting to block FOI requests.
May
Rest Super’s big rebrand spend with KPMG the least of its problems
Who says paying consultants to change the colour of a logo isn’t in members’ best financial interests?