This Month
The future of consulting: Fewer staff, but same deliverables
Delivering a project with less than a quarter of the people - if you use AI agents. Plus: Hackers expose McKinsey’s IT flaws and a new tax leaks fine for PwC.
Chartered Accountants paying thousands to ‘teach themselves’ revolt
Last week’s exam blow-up has led to questions from accountants-in-training about what, exactly, they’re paying for. Plus: the Luke Sayers saga continues.
Finance warned KPMG over cheating disclosure
How did the government find out about the cheating scandal? In the AFR, of course. Plus: with apologies to real programmers everywhere, I vibe coded an app.
Australia’s newest consultancy is here. Big four need not apply
As AlixPartners opens in Australia, its chief here tells us what he’s looking for. Plus: how the industry’s doing on the pay gap, by the numbers.
February
A degree is ‘not enough’ to get hired in consulting
Accenture says it needs a “degree plus” – and of course it’s plus something AI. Also: suburban accountants say they are carrying the can for big four misconduct.
Boss of New York firm raiding Sydney rejects ‘eat what you kill’ label
Alvarez & Marsal is here to take the Australian consulting business by frontal assault. Plus: another AI startup that reckons it can replace consultants.
Big consulting donates $400,000 to politicians
Two years after the PwC scandal, the other big consulting firms are still making big political donations. Plus: KPMG’s big overseas outsourcing.
January
All the big moves in consulting’s January shuffle
With major January moves, today’s edition is a who’s where to start the year. Plus: networking in Lycra and a trailblazer calls time on a 33-year career.
What’s next for consulting in 2026
The best-read stories of last year and a lookahead to the coming trends. Plus: our annual corporate jargon Eye-roll awards.
December 2025
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 2025
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 2025
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.
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.
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.
