Jul 3, 2026 – 8.00pm“What sort of person puts that in an email?”That was the view of a former KPMG partner after reading an email by the firm’s brand new chairman Michael Ebeid. It accuses Labor senator Deborah O’Neill of “inappropriate” and “unfair” conduct and confides, “as we know well, many of the statements she makes are completely false”. This email was sent in March on the morning after O’Neill had made public in the Senate a whistleblower’s serious claims of misconduct at KPMG.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Edmund TadrosProfessional services editorEdmund Tadros leads our coverage of the professional services sector. He is based in our Sydney newsroom.Hannah WoottonColumnistHannah Wootton is a Rear Window columnist, based in Melbourne.Fetching latest articles