KPMG faces criticism over $1.27 million ethics‑training contract for Australian public servants

A major consulting firm, KPMG, is under parliamentary scrutiny after senior leaders were accused of accessing confidential client information. Greens senator Barbara Pocock highlighted that KPMG still holds a AU$1.27 million contract to provide ethics and leadership training to 300 senior public servants, running until December 2026 with a possible two‑year extension.

The controversy stems from allegations that audit partners Paul Rogers and Eileen Hoggett, along with other staff, misused confidential documents from long‑term audit client Lendlease and documents from Macquarie Group, Westpac, Dexus and Optus to win additional contracts. A whistleblower also reported mistreatment. Following intense questioning, KPMG’s national chairman Martin Sheppard and the two audit partners resigned. The firm, which holds 297 federal contracts worth about AU$653 million, is currently under a three‑month moratorium on new finance‑department work. The Greens have called for the ethics‑training contract to be cancelled and for a comprehensive review of all KPMG federal contracts.