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Renamed Scyne Advisory, roughly 1,400 of PwC Australia's more than 9,000 staff have moved over to the new advisory firm. It said it would tender for a new external auditor as part of "best practice for audit firm rotation". PwC has audited Westpac since 2002, before which PwC partners and their ancestor firms had audited the bank since 1968. However, PwC's lead Westpac audit partner assumed the role less than two years ago, in December 2021, according to a Westpac governance statement this month. A PwC Australia spokesperson said the firm understood the board's decision and was proud of its time as Westpac's auditor.

Persons: Lewis Jackson, PwC, Robert Birsel, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Wednesday, Scyne Advisory, Scyne, Google, Uber Technologies, Facebook, Meta, WESTPAC, Westpac Group, Westpac, PwC's, Thomson Locations: Barangaroo, Australia

PwC sign is seen in the lobby of their offices in Barangaroo, Australia June 22, 2023. REUTERS/Lewis Jackson Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Oct 26 (Reuters) - PwC Australia said on Thursday that dozens of staff who had been set to move across to spin-off consultancy Scyne Advisory will no longer have roles at the new firm and have been told to look for jobs internally. Over 1,500 people out of PwC Australia's more than 9,000 staff were expected to move to the new firm, PwC said in September. A Scyne Advisory spokesperson said a delay in closing the deal, originally planned for September, changes to its "partner mix" and the need to establish Scyne as a "sustainable business" were factors in the decision. The move comes as Scyne Advisory gears up to reclaim advisory work that netted PwC Australia A$680 million ($427 million) last financial year.

Persons: Lewis Jackson, PwC, Kevin Burrowes, Lincoln, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Scyne, PwC, PwC Australia, of Finance, Thomson Locations: Barangaroo, Australia, PwC Australia, PwC

PwC sign is seen in the lobby of their offices in Barangaroo, Australia June 22, 2023. PwC Australia in May commissioned former Telstra CEO Ziggy Switkowski to review the firm's culture and governance after revelations a former partner had leaked confidential tax documents to colleagues to drum up work with global companies. Switkowski identified poor practices "uncorrected for many years", including a board stacked with longstanding PwC partners, a powerful CEO "not perceived to be accountable to the board" and a "whatever it takes" approach to making money. PwC Australia has not committed to releasing their reports publicly. PwC Australia said on Wednesday it would adopt, and in some cases already had, the report's 23 recommendations, which include appointing an external chief risk officer, revamping firm culture, and linking partner pay to ethical behaviour.

Persons: Lewis Jackson, Ziggy Switkowski, Switkowski, Kevin Burrowes, Switkowski's, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, PwC, Telstra, Facebook, Police, Thomson Locations: Barangaroo, Australia, PwC Australia

☆ Australia posts first budget surplus in 15 years as tax revenues soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jason Reed Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Australia on Friday recorded a final budget surplus of A$22.1 billion ($14.2 billion) for the year to June 2023, five times earlier estimates, as strong jobs growth and bumper mining profits helped the country post the first surplus in 15 years. In its May budget, the Labor government had projected a surplus of A$4.2 billion, a huge turnaround from the pandemic-driven deficits of the two previous years. However, the budget is projected to return to deficit this year amid intensifying spending pressures on healthcare, energy and defence. By banking revenue upgrades, the government lowered gross debt by A$87.2 billion and will avoid around A$12 billion in interest payments over the five years to 2026-27. Chalmers said in July the budget surplus was likely to be a little over A$20 billion for the past financial year.

Persons: Jason Reed, Jim Chalmers, Chalmers, Stella Qiu, Jacqueline Wong, Lincoln Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Treasury, Labor, ABC News, Thomson Locations: Australia's, Australia

REUTERS/Lewis Jackson/File PhotoSYDNEY, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Australia will drastically tighten penalties for promoters of dodgy tax schemes and beef up the power of regulators as part of reforms announced on Sunday in response to a scandal over the use of leaked tax plans by PwC Australia. PwC Australia was not fined for the breach under the existing rules, and the changes will not applied retroactively, a Treasury spokesperson told Reuters. "The PwC scandal exposed severe shortcomings in our regulatory frameworks," said the statement from the ministers for treasury and finance and the attorney general. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) foiled several attempts by companies to subvert the 2016 Multinational Anti-Avoidance Law but was frustrated in its subsequent investigation by "highly ambitious if not false" legal privilege claims from PwC Australia. Collins and PwC Australia were not sanctioned until late 2022 by a separate agency that regulates tax agents, the Tax Practitioners Board, after police said there was insufficient information for them to act.

Persons: Lewis Jackson, Peter Collins, Collins, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, PwC, Facebook, Bills, Reuters, Australian Tax, Thomson Locations: Barangaroo, Australia, PwC Australia

[1/2] PwC sign is seen in the lobby of their offices in Barangaroo, Australia June 22, 2023. PwC Australia made A$3 billion ($2.01 billion) in revenue last financial year. Allegro Funds describes itself as a restructuring specialist with over A$4 billion ($2.68 billion) under management. Acting PwC Australia chief executive Kristin Stubbins said last month the firm would "ringfence" its government consulting business and appoint a separate board to consider "strategic options for the business". In a sign the scandal is beginning to impact PwC's private sector work, four major pension funds managing roughly A$750 billion froze work with the firm this month.

Persons: Lewis Jackson SYDNEY, PwC, Kristin Stubbins, Lewis Jackson, Lincoln, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: REUTERS, PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, Allegro, Reserve Bank of Australia, Australian Financial, Funds, PwC Australia, Thomson Locations: Barangaroo, Australia

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