: Anybody entrusted to work for or on behalf of the Australian people should act with utmost integrity and honesty.
It seems like that hasn't happened, Mr. Axelman said.
PwC has been facing the heat for months now, when the accounting and consulting firm misused embarrassing government information to help big multinationals avoid paying more tax.
DEBORAH Ogrowth at all costs mindset', a lack of independent voices on its leadership boards and that the CEO's role had become too powerful and unaccountable.
It's pretty plain. ''It's pretty plain,'' GEoffrey Watson said. An outsider could have said PwC was only interested in profits.
That is window dressing, the real problem here is the way in which these consultants have taken over the bureaucracy - that's not being addressed by them at all.
NADIA DALY: The cultural problems that are now known to the public and are backed in in the section on culture recorded by Mr Switkowski have not gone away.
Today's report into PwC, by Ziggy Switkowski, identified a culture where'revenue is king' and partners who exceeded financial targets are celebrated as 'heroes' and 'rainmakers', and to whom the rules don't always apply.
Dr Switkowski made 23 recommendations which PwC agreed to implement. The changes have included restructuring its governance to meet ASX standards, appointing three non-executive board members, and allowing the board to fire the CEO and publish audited financial statements.
Senator Ot Go far enough nor were its terms broad enough.
DeBorah O names. Now for the entire period that we know that this matter was on foot, there were two CEOs, one of them was Mr Luke Sayers and the other was Mr Tom Seymour. In Switkowski's review, neither of them get a mention.
The report comes as a senate inquiry into the tax leak scandal was heard from the ATO's Jeremy Hirschorn, who said PwC's former CEO Luke Sayers was warned about the ATO's concerns in 2019.
In my discussions with Mr Sayers, I communicated that we had come across various regarding emails across a range of issues and I suggested that he look, that basically he look through those emails.
I thought that the questions that I had raised were of substantial, sufficient concern that there would be, the firm would respond.
Luke Sayers said he didn't remember that conversation, nor was he aware Peter Collins breached confidentiality agreements.
It began in 2013 when PwC partner Peter Collins gave advice to Treasury on new laws to prevent multinational corporations from exploiting tax loopholes. He has signed a confidentiality deal with the company.
It was later revealed that Mr Collins breached this agreement by sharing information with PwC staff and clients to help them allegedly sidestep new tax laws.
In October of 2022 Peter Collins left PwC and was soon deregistered for integrity breaches.
The federal senate investigation began in March and is expected to begin examining the scandal.
In May, internal emails from PwC were released which showed several of Peter Collins' colleagues were aware he was leaking the government documents.
A police investigation was also launched, and PwC commissioned an independent internal investigation by former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski.
In the coming months, the firm would replace its CEO, stand down nine of its partners, and sell off the government consulting arm of its business for one dollar.
PwC's CEO was not available for an interview with 7.30, instead releasing a pre-recorded video message.
The independent review highlights a failure of leadership both by individuals and as a firm.
What happened is unacceptable, the failures identified should never have been allowed to take place.
DEBORAH Os certainly not enough and it certainly doesn't put an end to the matter.
NDIA DALY: Geoffrey Watson said bigger questions remain over the government's reliance on consultants.
Our governments, not only a federal government, all of our governments need to wean themselves off this dependence that they have on consultants, external consultants, as soon as possible.
They must restore faith that decision-making is being taken by people who have their first and only duty to serve the public, rather than a private profit.