The Australian finance department has rejected a last-minute plea from three senators urging it not to lift a ban on PwC Australia competing for new government work. The ban was triggered by a scandal involving the misuse of confidential Treasury information.
Last month, Guardian Australia revealed the finance department had recommended ending the long-term ban. Former PwC Australia partners no longer at the firm remain under investigation by the Australian federal police.
Greens senator Barbara Pocock, Labor senator Deborah O’Neill, and Liberal senator Richard Colbeck wrote to the department urging it not to lift the ban, introduced in April 2024, while the tax leaks scandal was being investigated. The department responded on Thursday, confirming it would not change its position.
PwC Australia cannot bid for consultancy work until 2028 due to a non-compete clause with spin-off Scyne, but can bid for other work including audit services. The finance department will require six-monthly updates on its cultural overhaul until June 2027.
PwC Australia CEO Kevin Burrowes thanked the department, saying the firm was “proud of the progress we’ve made”. But Pocock called the decision “an insult” to the parliamentary inquiries, while O’Neill said it was “premature”.
