What scandal? KPMG continues to dish out whistleblower advice

The rolling whistleblower disaster enveloping KPMG Australia may have found a new gear on Friday, when it forced the resignation of the accounting giant’s CEO, Andrew Yates.

But it would appear the saga’s widening blast radius hasn’t stopped the firm from dishing out, er, whistleblower advice. In a post to LinkedIn just weeks before KPMG announced Yates would depart, a forensic risk services director at the firm offered colleagues some sage advice on “the topic of Upholding Whistleblower Protections in Disciplinary Investigations”.

This from a firm which, in its own words, has since acknowledged that its treatment of the whistleblower complaint that sent the accounting giant into a tailspin and a subsequent investigation into the allegations “fell short of the firm’s expectations” and “those of the whistleblower” and “broader community”.

Of course, it bears noting that the director in question hasn’t been involved in the rolling scandal, which became public in March when Labor MP Deborah O’Neill raised the whistleblower allegations in a Senate speech. The speech cited “misuse of confidential information, corruption of ASX audit tender processes”. KPMG declined to comment.

On Friday, this masthead reported that KMPG said an initial internal investigation, which did not substantiate the allegations raised by the whistleblower, had not been conducted with the “necessary rigour required”. The firm’s chairman, Martin Sheppard, said he had accepted the resignation of Yates and Julian McPherson, a senior partner at the firm, with immediate effect given their ultimate responsibility for the whistleblower complaint and investigation.

Oh, if only the pair had sought advice from their colleagues.

“Clear protocols that integrate whistleblower obligations into every stage of disciplinary investigations should be established,” the director suggested in the post.

“This includes protocols for separating whistleblower details from disciplinary investigations and escalation points to manage the tension between confidentiality and fairness. Further, creating structural separation – using independent investigators or oversight panels – is an avenue to reduce bias and conflicts.”

The celebs getting face time with ministers

It is always worth a look when the quarterly release of meetings undertaken by state government ministers drops, mainly to see who is getting face time with Victoria’s decision makers. Some familiar names from realms other than business and politics have appeared in the latest batch of diary releases, made public on Friday and covering January to March.

Fox FM radio host Carrie Bickmore met with Premier Jacinta Allan on February 5, under the banner of her Beanies 4 Brain Cancer organisation. Bickmore set up Beanies 4 Brain Cancer to raise funds for research into the devastating disease and support the Brain Cancer Centre.

Named the 2026 Victorian Australian of the Year for her fundraising efforts, she was accompanied to the “meet and greet” by Beanies 4 Brain Cancer executive director Sam McGuane; Dr Jim Whittle, a neuro-oncologist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre; and Professor Kate Drummond, head of neurosurgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Another interesting celebrity-aligned disclosure came in the diary of Sport and Major Events Minister Steve Dimopoulos.

Dimopoulos met with podcaster, online footy content creator, former AFL player and one time reality TV star Daniel Gorringe on February 24. Gorringe has become one of the fastest growing names in footy media, with more than 570,000 followers on his Dan Does Footy Instagram page and 373,000 on his personal Instagram. His promise to fans on his Dan Does Footy platform is “footy delivered different”.

Gorringe, who has had the occasional spat with “old man media” over his new media ways, attended the meeting as the director of his media business, Partner, along with Partner’s general manager, Sam Bonser.

We’d love to know what the trio discussed – is the minister about to turn up in one of Gorringe’s Dan Does Footy stunts? – but alas, we could not get on to either Dimopoulos or Gorringe on Sunday.

Pokies not worth the punt for influencers

A crackdown is looming against influencers pumping out content glorifying pokies, CBD can reveal.

Social media creators irresponsibly spruiking electronic gaming machines with wads of cash and unrealistic big wins are risking a fine of more than $24,000 if prosecuted, as the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission moves to monitor what it has identified as a trend in rogue pokie-spruiking.

Under the Victorian Gambling Regulation Act, the promotion and advertising of poker machines is prohibited. However, the commission says there has been a rise in influencers serving up content including venue visits, gameplay or win moments that potentially blurs the line between advertising and entertainment.

The commission is launching an awareness campaign while also considering regulatory and legal options to stamp out potential breaches of Victoria’s gambling laws.

“When influencers fan out wads of cash and celebrate winning thousands of dollars, they’re not only sharing content, but they’re also shaping perceptions and attitudes towards gambling and downplaying the very real risk of harm that comes with it,” Gambling and Casino Control Commission chief executive Suzy Neilan said.

“Gambling products, particularly poker machines and sports betting apps, can carry high risks of harm to people who gamble, and we’re not seeing that reality represented on social media. We are aware of influencers and other social media accounts posting content portraying gambling as harmless fun, a lifestyle, or a source of easy money.”

A quick snoop on social media by CBD brought up several examples of pokie content, usually by a flop with a phone pretending to be a big shot or a bit of a bogan as a machine dings and flashes.

It might look ridiculous, but there is a lot at stake. In the 2024-25 financial year, more than $3 billion was gambled away on poker machines in Victoria, according to the commission.

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