In about-face, McKinsey, BCG to appear before consulting inquiry
McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group have agreed to appear at the Senate inquiry into consulting after earlier declining to testify before the committee and failing to answer most of the questions posed by the senators about their operations.
The about-face comes after two committee members, Labor’s Deborah O’Neill and the Greens’ Barbara Pocock, warned the firms they were not above parliamentary scrutiny when they initially indicated last month they would not testify.
BCG had “respectfully” declined to appear at the committee, while McKinsey also indicated it would not appear. The firms have now separately written to the committee to say they will appear in hearings they expect will be held in September.
McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group have agreed to appear at the Senate inquiry into consulting.
The resistance to being questioned by the committee contrasts with Deloitte, EY, KPMG and Accenture, which have all appeared before public hearings of the inquiry. PwC has not been called because of concern that questioning by the Senate could impede the ongoing Australian Federal Police investigation into its tax leaks matter.
Private businesses and individuals have no obligation to appear before Senate inquiries unless it votes to compel them to do so, a move that is rarely carried out.
“All the large consultancy firms operating in Australia have questions to answer in regard to their dealings with the public sector,” Senator Pocock said.
“I’m glad to see that McKinsey and the Boston Consulting Group have finally capitulated and agreed to appear before the inquiry.
“I am looking forward to hearing what they have to say about their engagements with Australian government agencies, how they manage conflicts of interest, and
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