The Finance Department has directed PwC to remove all staff who had knowledge of or had been directly involved in the breach from any current or future government contracts.
The department also advised government officials that they must consider past behaviour and ethical conduct of an organisation when tendering for government contracts.
Professor Percy Allan, from the Institute for Public Policy & Governance at University of Technology Sydney, said the new directive to consider past behaviour means officials would have to look at whether firms have been involved in previous scandals or breaches – but it would be tricky to find any organisation with a completely clean record.
“Critically, PwC did not indicate to my department that the issue was broader than what was being published in media reports at that time,” Wilkinson said.“This additional information raised serious concerns about the broader culture within PwC and undermined our confidence in their earlier engagements with Finance around this matter,” Wilkinson said.
PwC has said it deeply regrets “that we have failed the high standards we set for ourselves as an organisation”. KPMG told staff that working with government was a privilege, and acknowledged the firm had in the past “got it wrong” but had since learnt from past experiences. It urged workers to re-familiarise themselves with the company’s code of conduct.
AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw rejected suggestions he had a conflict of interest because he is friends with former NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller, now a senior PwC employee. There is no suggestion that Mr Fuller was involved in or knew about the leaked information.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
KPMG leaders warn staff over PwC tax leaks scandalKPMG CEO Andrew Yates and chairman Alison Kitchen say they could “no longer sit by and watch our profession be tarnished by the unethical actions of a few”. ausbiz auspol
Read more »
PwC leak prompts NSW to consider fines for betrayal of trustBig businesses and industry groups that leak sensitive tax discussions to stakeholders could face multimillion-dollar fines.
Read more »
Former PwC executive referred to AFP over leaking confidential Treasury informationAustralia’s former head of international tax at consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers has been referred to the police for criminal investigation.
Read more »
PwC tax scandal referred to AFP for criminal investigationTreasury has confirmed it has referred the PwC tax scandal, involving former partner Peter Collins, to the Australian Federal Police for a criminal investigation.
Read more »
PwC scandal: agriculture minister says hiring freeze left public sector reliant on consultantsMurray Watt tells Senate estimates he is ‘seriously concerned’ about the apparent actions of some consultants hired by his department
Read more »
PwC is now firmly in the Canberra doghouseFinance is god in Canberra procurement land. No more nudges or shadow-bans, PwC is now firmly in the Canberra doghouse, its circa $250 million annual federal franchise in deep jeopardy. ausbiz auspol
Read more »