Colin KrugerUpdated June 19, 2026 — 8:49am,first published 8:21amWatch live as KPMG, its lawyers, clients, regulators and associates face a grillingBy Colin KrugerWelcome to our live blog of the Parliamentary Joint Committee public hearing into the KPMG whistleblower scandal in Canberra. Latest Posts8.49amKPMG have denied Lendlease access to information relating to the illicit sharing of the company’s informationBy Colin KrugerO’Neill: “So they’re claiming legal professional privilege over documents that relate directly to information that you seek to manage what’s happening in your own company and about your company”Lombardo: “Yeah, they are seeking to protect their information. Importantly, we were trying to make sure we understand exactly the use of that information through the allegations.”8.47amLendlease boss “took comfort” there would be a robust investigation in 2025By Colin KrugerLombardo on his interactions with KPMG CEO Peter Yates: “I do remember him saying an investigation had taken place at that point in time, so I took comfort that (they) would have undertaken a robust investigation, was my assumption.”8.39amAdditional costs and disruption for Lendlease from whistleblower fallout and change of auditors By Colin KrugerLendlease chairman John Gillam mentions the cost and disruption of having to dump KPMG as its auditor: “As stated in my opening statement, this is a grave misuse of their access privileges, and we’re deeply discontented with this behaviour. So, we will move as expeditiously as we can.”Lendlease chair John GillamDominic Lorrimer8.37am‘Fundamental breach of trust’: Lendlease criticises KPMG’s response to the scandalBy Nick BonyhadyLendlease boss Tony Lombardo says that there has been a “fundamental breach of trust” by KPMG, and acknowledges that it was brought to the property company’s attention by the Senate committee now investigating the matter.Previously, Lombardo says, KPMG had claimed that allegations about the misuse of confidential Lendlease information could not be substantiated. He says his team has had numerous meetings with KPMG. “KPMG has responded at each of those points,” he says, but the information from the consultancy “has come back very piecemeal… as we’ve learned more through this whole process”.8.35am‘This is clearly a massive fail’: O’NeillBy Colin KrugerO’Neill: “Your particular case study is very, very helpful in terms of revealing where there are some clear challenges in what’s going on in terms of trust … one of the big challenges in this particular matter, which is betrayal of trust, the taking of confidential information, and the use of that for financial gain for your auditor.”“This is clearly a massive fail,” she says. 8.31amLendlease executives reveal how they found out about the scandalBy Colin KrugerLendlease CEO Lombardo says he learnt of the whistleblower last year and didn’t mince words when it came to the allegations of KPMG executives accessing his company’s boardroom documents.“Ultimately, Senator, in terms of the audit papers, the auditors do have access to our full papers and records.”“I think ultimately it’s poor judgment in terms of how the documents are being used.”Lendlease CEO Tony Lombardo and chair John Gillam at the company’s AGM last year.Dominic Lorrimer8.24amLendlease’s top executives are first to front the hearing By Colin KrugerLendlease CEO Tony Lombardo and chairman John Gillam are now appearing. Senator Deborah O’Neill sets the tone: “I can just enforce that the committee believes that this matter that we’re discussing is of such significance that our efforts will be to do everything that we can today, absolutely in full public view, because of the import of what it means for the public good.”Law firms aren’t immune from KPMG-style governance disasters, says ALP Senator Deborah O’Neill.Alex Ellinghausen8.20amWho will appear before the committee todayBy Colin KrugerPresiding over the public hearing will be Labor senator Deborah O’Neill, who brought the matter to public attention via a senate speech in March this year.The most prominent attendee is Cricket Australia chair and former NSW premier Mike Baird, but the committee will also get to grill KPMG Australia’s former CEO Andrew Yates and senior partner Julian McPherson - who both abruptly resigned last month after the company confirmed confidential client data had been shared. Their former chair at KPMG Martin Sheppard will give evidence too.Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird has been called up before a parliamentary committee investigating the KPMG whistleblower scandal. He was a member of the KPMG board that pushed for more scrutiny of the allegations.Louis TreriseOther KPMG board members, Patty Akopiantz and Jane Hemstritch, will also appear.Lendlease CEO Tony Lombardo, and chairman John Gillam will also appear as will senior partners from the law firms called in by KPMG before the scandal became public: Ashurst and Allens.8.20amThe whistleblower scandal which triggered today’s public hearingBy Colin KrugerIn March this year, the KPMG whistleblower scandal became public when senator Deborah O’Neill alleged in Parliament that executives at the firm had accessed sensitive client files and used them to win work with other companies.But it was not until the end of May that the first cracks appeared when its chief executive Andrew Yates resigned and KPMG publicly admitted its investigations into the claims from a whistleblower over the previous two years were inadequate.Some of Australia’s biggest companies, including property giant Lendlease, have now said they will put auditing contracts held by KPMG out to tender after decades of working with the consulting firm. Pinned post from yesterday 4.14pmWatch live as KPMG, its lawyers, clients, regulators and associates face a grillingBy Colin KrugerWelcome to our live blog of the Parliamentary Joint Committee public hearing into the KPMG whistleblower scandal in Canberra. 1 of 1