“It goes to my perspective, which I've held from the beginning, that there's more than just a local story, it's international,” he said after the report was released.
The Tax Practitioners Board has nine ongoing investigations into the scandal, the Australian Federal Police has one of its own and the Australian Taxation Office is in talks with seven countries about it.
The committee said the government should set up a separate committee to review and approve consultancy contracts and make changes to the way the Department of Finance deals with consultancy firms, including improving the training of officials in procurement to ensure that government is value for money.
It also repeated its earlier recommendations that PwC release “accurate and detailed information” about the firm's partners and staff who were involved in the breach, including by publishing Linklaters' internal report on the scandal
Labor senator Deborah O'Neill said that if implemented, the recommendations would “provide significant changes” to the way the government hires consulting firms.
“This report provides the sunlight disinfectant,” he said.
“Implementing the recommendations will ensure that the public good and our national interests take precedence over the greed and cozy relationships that have previously only benefited a small handful of wealthy and powerful individuals within this system.”
The Greens produced a dissenting report and Greens senator Barbara Pocock, who has also referred the PwC scandal to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, said the main committee's recommendations did not go far enough.
“Not recommending an end to political donations from big contractors doesn't pass the pub test. Even big consultants see this as a problem,” he said.
“PwC should be banned for five years from all government work based on its known transgressions, and certainly should be banned until all current investigations are completed and they have delivered the Linklaters report.”
A PwC spokesman acknowledged the final report and said the firm would consider its contents.
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“PwC continues to make progress in delivering on our change commitments. This includes significant steps to improve our governance, culture and accountability, and we continue to work hard to restore trust and confidence with our stakeholders,” said the spokesperson
While the Finance and Public Administration References Committee's inquiry has ended, Colbeck said parliament's work had not, pointing to a separate inquiry by the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services he chaired by O'Neill, as well as the regular Senate estimates hearings.
“Given that the TBP and ATO appear together in estimates three times a year, I have little doubt that the Senate will do more,” he said.
