New KPMG chair disrespects parliament & whistleblower
New KPMG chair disrespects parliament & whistleblower | Australian Greens Skip to main content Search Get Involved Join Donate Our plan Tax the 1% Tackle the cost of living Healthcare for all Fix the housing crisis Strong climate action Policy principles & aims Our team Federal MPs State/territory MPs Officeholders Media releases Take action Volunteer Donate Issues & campaigns Events Greens Shop Leave a bequest Our movement About the Greens Become a member Jobs Green Magazine All news Get Involved Join Donate Search Our plan Toggle Tax the 1% Tackle the cost of living Healthcare for all Fix the housing crisis Strong climate action Policy principles & aims Our team Toggle Federal MPs State/territory MPs Officeholders Media releases Take action Toggle Volunteer Donate Issues & campaigns Events Greens Shop Leave a bequest Our movement Toggle About the Greens Become a member Jobs Green Magazine All news New KPMG chair disrespects parliament & whistleblower 2026-07-02 Today, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services has published an email from newly appointed KPMG independent chair Mr Michael Ebeid to his fellow directors and others.
The letter raises serious concerns about his suitability to fix the ethical and integrity disasters that have been revealed in KPMG. Further, it illustrates his disrespect to the whistleblower, who bravely surfaced these failures, and to the Parliament and its members. Mr Ebeid’s appointment as independent chair at KPMG Australia was announced this morning.
His appointment comes in the wake of multiple KPMG scandals, including sharing confidential client information to win audit tenders, using AI to cheat on internal exams, breaching audit independence, misleading the parliament and mistreating the whistleblower who raised these concerns. The Greens say Mr Ebeid has shown a flagrant disregard for the parliament and his appointment as KPMG ‘independent’ chair does not bode well for a cleanup at KPMG.
Lines attributable to Greens finance and public service spokesperson Senator Barbara Pocock: “Mr Ebeid’s letter shows his lack of respect for whistleblowers and the Parliament. His words reveal his willingness to attempt to exercise inappropriate influence on senators and committee processes. They also indicate his depth of knowledge and pre-formed views about events within KPMG and its whistleblowers allegations.
“Mr Ebeid has firm and dismissive views about the whistleblower and the nature and legitimacy of concerns about ethics and integrity failures within KPMG - failures that have since been admitted by KPMG. “Appointing Mr Ebeid to ‘independent chair’ at KPMG Australia is KPMG’s version of a ‘cleanup’. This is hard to take seriously.
This is a clear conflict of interest. This looks a long way from independent. “His appointment is a performative rather than a substantive ‘clean up’ of KPMG.
This is a firm that has failed to meet its obligations in handling a whistleblower and it appears he was involved in that. “Mr Ebeid’s appointment shows the deeply embedded nature of the cultural problems at KMPG, evident in the recent scandals. It risks entrenching the very culture and leadership that need to change.
KPMG does not appear to understand the scale of the integrity, accountability and trust deficit it faces. “This doesn’t pass any ethics test. If you’re on the board working with partners to oversee a whistleblower investigation into serious allegations of ethical misconduct, it’s hard to see how there isn’t a conflict of interest.
I don’t think Australians would regard that as independence.” “This is not the fresh start for KPMG that it attempts to be. Mr Ebeid is a part of the culture and leadership team where things have gone seriously wrong in KPMG. “Mr Ebeid shares responsibility for KPMG’s recent treatment of the whistleblower and the leadership’s failure to hear and respond to the very serious allegations of ethical failure at KPMG.
“Appointing an existing board member with deep involvement in KPMG’s recent issues as an ‘independent’ chair simply doesn’t pass the pub test." MEDIA CONTACT: Charlotta Lomas - 0466 339 862 Facebook for the Australian Greens YouTube for the Australian Greens X for the Australian Greens Instagram for the Australian Greens Bluesky for the Australian Greens Privacy Members website Your safety Contact us Our plan Tax the 1% Tackle the cost of living Healthcare for all Fix the housing crisis Strong climate action In your language 2025 policy platform Policy principles & aims Our team Federal MPs State/territory MPs Officeholders Federal portfolios Federal media releases Take action Volunteer Donate Issues & campaigns Upcoming events Greens Shop Leave a bequest Green Magazine All news Our movement About the Greens Become a member Jobs Members website State/territory parties Contact us The Greens acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture.
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