EY grad sacked down under for allegedly accessing PM’s bank account Big Four A junior employee at Big Four accounting giant EY Australia has been sacked over allegations he and another man accessed prime minister Anthony Albanese’s personal bank account. Both men faced court on Tuesday over the breach which, according to the Australian federal police, took place when the EY graduate was on secondment at the Commonwealth [...]
KPMG chair and senior partners to quit firm over audit scandal fallout Big Four KPMG Australia’s chair will leave the Big Four firm in the fallout of a scandal over misusing confidential client data to win audit contracts, along with two senior partners. Martin Sheppard, who has held his position as chairman since 2023, will “shortly” resign from his position at KPMG to be replaced with an independent chair, [...]
City law firm denies ties to KPMG Australia scandal Legal City-headquartered law firm Ashurst has denied its involvement in investigating allegations at KPMG Australia as the Big Four firms’ scandal fallout continues to heat up down under. Ashurst reportedly carried out an investigation from June to August 2025 over allegations made by a whistleblower against an unnamed former executive, following the Big Four firm conducting [...]
Musk brands UK a ‘police state’ as Big Tech rebels against Starmer’s social media ban June 16, 2026 Elon Musk, Meta and Google’s YouTube have all attacked Keir Starmer’s planned social media ban for under-16s, warning the restrictions will drive teenagers towards less safe corners of the internet and create sweeping new surveillance powers. The backlash comes as ministers consider forcing Apple and Google to carry out age checks on millions of British [...]
Ditched by clients and Australian government: What is happening down under at KPMG? June 15, 2026 KPMG’s Australian arm has been ditched by the country’s government for audit work until September, following the fallout of allegations that the firm mishandled client information, in the latest nightmare for the Big Four firm down under. The Big Four giant will be unable to bid for any Australian government contracts until September 2026, as [...]
Mike Ashley’s Frasers makes £166m play for shoe firm Accent June 15, 2026 Frasers Group has launched a £166m takeover bid of Australian shoe company Accent while calling for the removal of its chairman over “poor performance”. The fashion conglomerate has offered to buy all of the shares in Accent it does not already own for 65 Australian cents per share, valuing the offer at A$136m (£166m). This [...]
Stockbroker boom down under boosts CMC Markets share price June 4, 2026 CMC Markets shares rocketed in early trading after a rise in stockbroking activity in Australia coupled with its expanding institutional business partnerships boosted profits. Shares soared 12.7 per cent to 415p, with shares up 37.1 per cent since the start of the year. The trading platform operator recorded a 20 per cent hike in profit [...]
KPMG Australia boss resigns amid whistleblower scandal May 29, 2026 The boss of KPMG Australia has resigned after the firm admitted to severely mishandling a whistleblower report on client confidentiality breaches. The scandal was prompted by a whistleblower who alleged that client documents were inappropriately shared with the senior leadership team, including the chief executive, which prompted an internal investigation. But the investigation did not [...]
UK should learn from Australia’s pension funds May 25, 2026 Australia's pension funds have a long-term, globally minded investment approach that many countries, including the UK, admire.
Government targets £99bn in Australian investment in major projects May 11, 2026 The government is looking Down Under to bankroll major infrastructure projects, as it aims to raise £99bn in Australian pension investment the next decade. Investment minister Lord Stockwood is touring Australia, Malaysia and Singapore this week as he positions the UK as the most “trusted, stable and connected” destination for funds in the region. The [...]