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.
- Daniel Arbon
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.
- Carrie LaFrenz
- Exclusive
- Retail
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.
- Carrie LaFrenz
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.
- Daniel Arbon
December 2024
- Exclusive
- Big four accountants
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.
- Edmund Tadros
How accountants will help save the planet
The once humble accountant will be key to supporting the transition to net zero.
- Sally Patten
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.
- Carrie LaFrenz
‘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.
- Edmund Tadros
- Exclusive
- Big four consultants
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.
- Ronald Mizen
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.
- Updated
- Michael Read
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.
- Updated
- Edmund Tadros
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.
- Updated
- Edmund Tadros
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.
- Edmund Tadros
Bonfire of the rent-seekers at the Clean Energy Council
The peak renewables industry group is seeking four new directors. Some 37 want on.
- Mark Di Stefano
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.
- Edmund Tadros
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.
- Edmund Tadros
$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.
- Edmund Tadros
October 2024
Mosaic Brands collapses, lenders call in KPMG and FTI Consulting
The ASX-listed clothing retailer has been teetering on the brink of collapse for months, having entered so-called safe harbour in August.
- Updated
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
BHP chairman Ken MacKenzie eyes the end of his rule
Ken MacKenzie is expected to retire next year as he prepares to honour the informal nine-year limit he imposed on director terms at the mining giant.
- Peter Ker
Big KPMG team departs Defence data project
More than 70 consultants from the firm have finished working on an ambitious project to better manage and share data held by the sprawling department.
- Edmund Tadros and Andrew Tillett