KPMG Australia Chair Ebeid Apologises for Dismissing Whistleblower Allegations
Synopsis
KPMG Australia chair Michael Ebeid apologised for dismissing whistleblower allegations after new investigations, while released emails prompted fresh criticism from parliamentary committee members and Greens Senator Barbara Pocock.
New KPMG Australia independent chair Michael Ebeid has apologised for an email he sent including a summary of the firm’s whistleblower allegations, claiming he did not know most of the facts when writing the correspondence in March 2026.
Ebeid told Capital Brief that he had been receiving more granular detail over the previous three months through further investigations and now understood more fully the nature of allegations made by whistleblowers as well as failures in how the company handled them.
He told police that, in hindsight, he would not have sent the email and he apologised for sending it. Ebeid acknowledged KPMG made mistakes and was working to restore trust with clients, its own employees and Parliament and the community.
Parliamentary Committee Releases Emails
After Ebeid was appointed, the Parliamentary Joint Committee examining the issue published emails between him and board members Carmel Mortell, Jane Hemstritch and Patty Akopiantz.
In the March email, Ebeid asked whether Senator Deborah O’Neill had approached KPMG directly before making her whistleblower allegations before Parliament and challenged statements regarding when the whistleblower lodged his claims.
It also stated that no committee member, including Senator O’Neill, was aware of or had met Ebeid once whistleblower claims were brought forward. Ebeid, however, wrote that he knew O’Neill and said he would meet with her if KPMG thought it could help.
Senator Criticises Appointment
Greens finance and public service spokesperson Senator Barbara Pocock said Ebeid’s correspondence showed “contempt for whistleblowers” and Parliament itself.
She also challenged his appointment as KPMG Australia’s independent chair, calling it a “cleanup” that seemed “performative” and saying of clear conflict of interest
Source: Capital Brief
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