The fallout from the Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) government-secrets-for-sale scandal continues, the recent release of the final report from the Senate Finance and Public Administration References Committee doing little to hose down the smouldering carcass of PwC’s reputation.

Amid excoriating publicity and relentless pressure from the Greens, on March 9 last year the Senate Finance and Public Administration Inquiry into Consulting Integrity was announced.

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It uncovered a catastrophic public integrity fail with Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) caught selling government tax-law secrets to private clients.

In May last year the Greens asked Labor in Parliament if it would refer PwC to the freshly-minted National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC).

In an astonishing abrogation of his integrity-in-politics mantra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined, saying the Australian Federal Police (AFP) was already investigating.

Greens leader Adam Bandt labelled Albanese’s response “a cop out” with inquiry member South Australian Greens Senator Barbara Pocock noting that the AFP first saw the PwC matter “five years ago” and still had no result.

It’s a bad look when the AFP have already faced serious Senate questions about conflicts of interest with PwC and, last week, raided and suspended a veteran AFP Commander over separate contracts-for-mates allegations.

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