Professional Services & HR · Australia (Perth)

High Court rejects appeal application by Ballarat accounting firm reshape Professional Services & HR sourcing priorities

Published Mar 18, 2026, 6:09 AM AWSTAPACFull category signal
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High Court rejects appeal application by Ballarat accounting firm

In 60 seconds

Top move

Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording

Key takeaways

  • Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.[1]
  • The lead signals for Professional Services & HR are no longer just descriptive; they point to immediate sourcing implications around commercial leverage.[2]
  • Lead move: The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages.[3]

What changed since last run

  • Lead coverage has rotated toward "High Court rejects appeal application by Ballarat accounting firm", shifting the brief toward more immediate execution implications.

Key facts

  • The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26
  • However, the appeals court overturned Mulcahy’s obligation to repay the $6 million to Porter
  • With the High Court last week refusing the special leave application with costs, Mulachy, tog
  • Remington, who has acted for Porter and Conheady since the case began in 2019, said his clien
  • Miranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the l
  • Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest

Why it matters

The lead signals for Professional Services & HR are no longer just descriptive; they point to immediate sourcing implications around commercial leverage. Lead move: The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages. That shifts Professional Services & HR focus toward commercial leverage and changes the ask to Accenture. The practical read-through is that buyers should tighten supplier challenge, pricing discipline, and contract optionality before the next decision gate

Cost / money

  • The money issue may come through term structure rather than base price alone, especially if suppliers push for escalation language, shorter validity, or broader pass-through.[1]

Supplier / commercial

  • This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 26, 6, 20 as the clearest commercial anchors; Rate caps is now more valuable.[1]
  • This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 2014 as the clearest commercial anchors; Milestone-based payments is now more valuable.[2]
  • This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 17, 2026, 4 as the clearest commercial anchors; Substitution/bench clauses is now more valuable.[3]
  • Use Rate caps. Preserve flexibility while still creating enough demand visibility to win concessions and protect service outcomes.[1]

Safety / operations

  • The main operations question is whether the contract still matches field reality. If scope, response times, or liabilities are vague, the risk usually shows up during execution.[1]

What to watch

  • Watch whether High Court rejects appeal application by reduces buyer leverage in renewals and pushes Accenture toward firmer commercial positions.[1]
  • Watch whether ATO issues warning on emerging identity reduces buyer leverage in renewals and pushes Accenture toward firmer commercial positions.[2]
  • Watch whether Under the Hood Inside Australia s reduces buyer leverage in renewals and pushes Accenture toward firmer commercial positions.[3]
  • High Court rejects appeal application by creates commercial leverage. Trigger: The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages.[1]

Top stories

Story 1AccountantsdailyMar 17, 2026

High Court rejects appeal application by Ballarat accounting firm

Signal strongSource-grounded

What happened

The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages. However, the appeals court overturned Mulcahy’s obligation to repay the $6 million to Porter, finding that Mulcahy did not breach his fiduciary duties to Porter as the facts indicated they did not have a close, trusted relationship. This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 26, 6, 20 as the clearest commercial anchors; Rate caps is now more valuable

Buyer takeaway

For Professional Services & HR, the buyer read-through is commercial leverage: scope, validity windows, reopeners, and term structure may now matter as much as headline pricing

Cost / money

The money issue may come through term structure rather than base price alone, especially if suppliers push for escalation language, shorter validity, or broader pass-through

Supplier / commercial

This is primarily a contracting story: revisit scope boundaries, extension mechanics, and which party carries volatility before those assumptions harden in a live tender

Safety / operations

The main operations question is whether the contract still matches field reality. If scope, response times, or liabilities are vague, the risk usually shows up during execution

What to watch

Watch scope creep, liability pushback, and term changes that move volatility back onto the buyer even if the base rate looks manageable

Key facts

  • The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26
  • However, the appeals court overturned Mulcahy’s obligation to repay the $6 million to Porter
  • With the High Court last week refusing the special leave application with costs, Mulachy, tog
  • Remington, who has acted for Porter and Conheady since the case began in 2019, said his clien
Story 2AccountantsdailyMar 17, 2026

ATO issues warning on emerging identity fraud threats

Signal strongSource-grounded

What happened

Miranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector. Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest superannuation stories in Australia, and has reported extensively on technical strategy and legislative updates. This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 2014 as the clearest commercial anchors; Milestone-based payments is now more valuable

Buyer takeaway

For Professional Services & HR, the buyer read-through is commercial leverage: scope, validity windows, reopeners, and term structure may now matter as much as headline pricing

Cost / money

The money issue may come through term structure rather than base price alone, especially if suppliers push for escalation language, shorter validity, or broader pass-through

Supplier / commercial

This is primarily a contracting story: revisit scope boundaries, extension mechanics, and which party carries volatility before those assumptions harden in a live tender

Safety / operations

The main operations question is whether the contract still matches field reality. If scope, response times, or liabilities are vague, the risk usually shows up during execution

What to watch

Watch scope creep, liability pushback, and term changes that move volatility back onto the buyer even if the base rate looks manageable

Key facts

  • Miranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the l
  • Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest
  • Tax professionals have been told to remain vigilant and apply strong due diligence practices
  • Recent activity has revealed a growing number of attempts by fraudsters to impersonate taxpay
Story 3AccountantsdailyMar 16, 2026

Under the Hood: Inside Australia’s political ‘tax wars’

Signal strongSource-grounded

What happened

17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied! 17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share th Signal relevance for sourcing, contract, or supplier-risk decisions in this category (Accountantsdaily). This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 17, 2026, 4 as the clearest commercial anchors; Substitution/bench clauses is now more valuable

Buyer takeaway

For Professional Services & HR, the buyer read-through is commercial leverage: scope, validity windows, reopeners, and term structure may now matter as much as headline pricing

Cost / money

The money issue may come through term structure rather than base price alone, especially if suppliers push for escalation language, shorter validity, or broader pass-through

Supplier / commercial

This is primarily a contracting story: revisit scope boundaries, extension mechanics, and which party carries volatility before those assumptions harden in a live tender

Safety / operations

The main operations question is whether the contract still matches field reality. If scope, response times, or liabilities are vague, the risk usually shows up during execution

What to watch

Watch scope creep, liability pushback, and term changes that move volatility back onto the buyer even if the base rate looks manageable

Key facts

  • 17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied!
  • 17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share th Signal relevance for sourcing
  • Mythbusting common policy misconceptions
  • Tax This week on UTH, Emma is joined by Grant Thornton’s national head of technical tax, Davi

VP Snapshot

Executive Risk & Action View

The biggest executive exposure for Professional Services & HR is commercial leverage because today's lead stories point to faster-moving supplier and commercial decisions than the current brief cadence alone would suggest.

Overall
71
Cost
53
Supply
30
Schedule
22
Compliance
15

Top signals

30-180dcommercial

Signal 1: High Court rejects appeal application by

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 26, 6, 20 as the clearest commercial anchors; Rate caps is now more valuable.

Signal 2: ATO issues warning on emerging identity

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 2014 as the clearest commercial anchors; Milestone-based payments is now more valuable.

Signal 3: Under the Hood Inside Australia s

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 17, 2026, 4 as the clearest commercial anchors; Substitution/bench clauses is now more valuable.

Recommended actions

Category ManagerDue 5d

Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

ContractsDue 10d

Review renewals with Accenture tied to ATO issues warning on emerging identity and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

Category ManagerDue 21d

Review renewals with Accenture tied to Under the Hood Inside Australia s and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

Risk register

RiskTriggerMitigation
High Court rejects appeal application by creates commercial leverage.The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages.Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.
ATO issues warning on emerging identity creates commercial leverage.Miranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector.Review renewals with Accenture tied to ATO issues warning on emerging identity and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.
Under the Hood Inside Australia s creates commercial leverage.17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied!Review renewals with Accenture tied to Under the Hood Inside Australia s and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

CM Snapshot

Category Manager Decision Detail

Today's priorities

Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 26, 6, 20 as the clearest commercial anchors; Rate caps is now more valuable.

Due 3d

high

CM move

Use this as the immediate supplier or contract action to move before the next sourcing gate.

Review renewals with Accenture tied to ATO issues warning on emerging identity and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 2014 as the clearest commercial anchors; Milestone-based payments is now more valuable.

Due 7d

medium

CM move

Use this as the immediate supplier or contract action to move before the next sourcing gate.

Review renewals with Accenture tied to Under the Hood Inside Australia s and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 17, 2026, 4 as the clearest commercial anchors; Substitution/bench clauses is now more valuable.

Due 10d

high

CM move

Use this as the immediate supplier or contract action to move before the next sourcing gate.

Supplier radar

Accenture

high

Observed supplier signal

The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages.

Commercial implication

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 26, 6, 20 as the clearest commercial anchors; Rate caps is now more valuable.

Next step: Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

Deloitte

medium

Observed supplier signal

Miranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector.

Commercial implication

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 2014 as the clearest commercial anchors; Milestone-based payments is now more valuable.

Next step: Review renewals with Accenture tied to ATO issues warning on emerging identity and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

EY

high

Observed supplier signal

17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied!

Commercial implication

This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 17, 2026, 4 as the clearest commercial anchors; Substitution/bench clauses is now more valuable.

Next step: Review renewals with Accenture tied to Under the Hood Inside Australia s and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

Negotiation levers

Use Rate caps

When to use: Use when High Court rejects appeal application by shifts leverage toward Accenture during renewal or award cycles.

Expected outcome: Preserve flexibility while still creating enough demand visibility to win concessions and protect service outcomes.

Commercial mechanism to carry into the next supplier conversation

Use Milestone-based payments

When to use: Use when ATO issues warning on emerging identity shifts leverage toward Deloitte during renewal or award cycles.

Expected outcome: Preserve flexibility while still creating enough demand visibility to win concessions and protect service outcomes.

Commercial mechanism to carry into the next supplier conversation

Use Substitution/bench clauses

When to use: Use when Under the Hood Inside Australia s shifts leverage toward EY during renewal or award cycles.

Expected outcome: Preserve flexibility while still creating enough demand visibility to win concessions and protect service outcomes.

Commercial mechanism to carry into the next supplier conversation

Talking points

Professional Services & HR conditions are now tactical: the latest signals justify immediate outreach to Accenture and a clause-by-clause contract refresh.
Use today's signal mix to challenge bill rate inflation, confirm talent scarcity, and preserve fallback options before leverage deteriorates.

Supplier radar

SupplierSignalImplicationNext stepConfidence
AccentureThe Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages.This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 26, 6, 20 as the clearest commercial anchors; Rate caps is now more valuable.Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.high
DeloitteMiranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector.This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 2014 as the clearest commercial anchors; Milestone-based payments is now more valuable.Review renewals with Accenture tied to ATO issues warning on emerging identity and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.medium
EY17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied!This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 17, 2026, 4 as the clearest commercial anchors; Substitution/bench clauses is now more valuable.Review renewals with Accenture tied to Under the Hood Inside Australia s and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.high

Negotiation levers

  • Use Rate capsUse when High Court rejects appeal application by shifts leverage toward Accenture during renewal or award cycles.Preserve flexibility while still creating enough demand visibility to win concessions and protect service outcomes.

    high confidence

  • Use Milestone-based paymentsUse when ATO issues warning on emerging identity shifts leverage toward Deloitte during renewal or award cycles.Preserve flexibility while still creating enough demand visibility to win concessions and protect service outcomes.

    medium confidence

  • Use Substitution/bench clausesUse when Under the Hood Inside Australia s shifts leverage toward EY during renewal or award cycles.Preserve flexibility while still creating enough demand visibility to win concessions and protect service outcomes.

    high confidence

What to do / What to watch

What to do now

  • Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

    Why: This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 26, 6, 20 as the clearest commercial anchors; Rate caps is now more valuable.

    Owner: Category

    Expected outcome: Complete this within 3 days to reduce buyer surprise and tighten near-term sourcing control.

    [1]
  • Review renewals with Accenture tied to ATO issues warning on emerging identity and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

    Why: This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 2014 as the clearest commercial anchors; Milestone-based payments is now more valuable.

    Owner: Category

    Expected outcome: Complete this within 7 days to reduce buyer surprise and tighten near-term sourcing control.

    [2]
  • Review renewals with Accenture tied to Under the Hood Inside Australia s and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

    Why: This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 17, 2026, 4 as the clearest commercial anchors; Substitution/bench clauses is now more valuable.

    Owner: Category

    Expected outcome: Complete this within 10 days to reduce buyer surprise and tighten near-term sourcing control.

    [3]

Next few weeks

  • Review renewals with Accenture tied to High Court rejects appeal application by and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

    Why: Move now because This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

    Owner: Category

    Expected outcome: This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

    [1]
  • Review renewals with Accenture tied to ATO issues warning on emerging identity and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

    Why: Move now because This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

    Owner: Contracts

    Expected outcome: This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

    [2]
  • Review renewals with Accenture tied to Under the Hood Inside Australia s and reopen the clause set for minimum-volume trades, extension options, and tighter change-control wording.

    Why: Move now because This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

    Owner: Category

    Expected outcome: This should improve negotiating posture and reduce surprise exposure against the market direction now visible in the brief.

    [3]
  • Prepare use rate caps for the next negotiation cycle.

    Why: Deploy it because Use when High Court rejects appeal application by shifts leverage toward Accenture during renewal or award cycles.

    Owner: Contracts

    Expected outcome: Preserve flexibility while still creating enough demand visibility to win concessions and protect service outcomes.

    [1]

Longer view

  • Use the current signal mix to tighten quarter-ahead sourcing scenarios and supplier optionality plans.

    Why: Prepare now because repeated cross-source signals are pointing to a more fragile commercial environment than a headline-only read suggests.

    Owner: Category

    Expected outcome: A cleaner quarter-ahead demand, budget, and fallback-supplier plan.

    [1]

What to watch

  • Watch whether High Court rejects appeal application by reduces buyer leverage in renewals and pushes Accenture toward firmer commercial positions
  • Watch whether ATO issues warning on emerging identity reduces buyer leverage in renewals and pushes Accenture toward firmer commercial positions
  • Watch whether Under the Hood Inside Australia s reduces buyer leverage in renewals and pushes Accenture toward firmer commercial positions
  • High Court rejects appeal application by creates commercial leverage.: The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages
  • ATO issues warning on emerging identity creates commercial leverage.: Miranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector
  • Under the Hood Inside Australia s creates commercial leverage.: 17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied!
  • Professional Services & HR conditions are now tactical: the latest signals justify immediate outreach to Accenture and a clause-by-clause contract refresh
  • Use today's signal mix to challenge bill rate inflation, confirm talent scarcity, and preserve fallback options before leverage deteriorates

Market pulse

IndexLatestChangeAs of
Accenture (ACN)345 +0.00 (+0.00%)Mar 17, 2026, 10:10 PM
ADP (ADP)245 +0.00 (+0.00%)Mar 17, 2026, 10:10 PM
Robert Half (RHI)72 +0.00 (+0.00%)Mar 17, 2026, 10:10 PM
S&P 500 (SPX)5,125 pts+0.00 (+0.00%)Mar 17, 2026, 10:10 PM
  • Accenture: Accenture should be used as a negotiation boundary for Professional Services & HR pricing, supplier challenge sessions, and contingency budgeting this cycle
  • ADP: ADP should be used as a negotiation boundary for Professional Services & HR pricing, supplier challenge sessions, and contingency budgeting this cycle
  • Robert Half: Robert Half should be used as a negotiation boundary for Professional Services & HR pricing, supplier challenge sessions, and contingency budgeting this cycle
  • S&P 500: S&P 500 should be used as a negotiation boundary for Professional Services & HR pricing, supplier challenge sessions, and contingency budgeting this cycle

Sources

Inline citations jump here. Expand a source to read the excerpt, the AI interpretation, and the original link.

[1] High Court rejects appeal application by Ballarat accounting firm

accountantsdaily.com.au · Mar 17, 2026

Expand

AI reading

The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26 million in damages. However, the appeals court overturned Mulcahy’s obligation to repay the $6 million to Porter, finding that Mulcahy did not breach his fiduciary duties to Porter as the facts indicated they did not have a close, trusted relationship. This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 26, 6, 20 as the clearest commercial anchors; Rate caps is now more valuable

Buyer takeaway

For Professional Services & HR, the buyer read-through is commercial leverage: scope, validity windows, reopeners, and term structure may now matter as much as headline pricing

Cost / money

The money issue may come through term structure rather than base price alone, especially if suppliers push for escalation language, shorter validity, or broader pass-through

Supplier / commercial

This is primarily a contracting story: revisit scope boundaries, extension mechanics, and which party carries volatility before those assumptions harden in a live tender

Safety / operations

The main operations question is whether the contract still matches field reality. If scope, response times, or liabilities are vague, the risk usually shows up during execution

What to watch

Watch scope creep, liability pushback, and term changes that move volatility back onto the buyer even if the base rate looks manageable

Key facts

  • The Supreme Court of Victoria originally ordered Mulachy to pay Porter and Conheady over $26
  • However, the appeals court overturned Mulcahy’s obligation to repay the $6 million to Porter
  • With the High Court last week refusing the special leave application with costs, Mulachy, tog
  • Remington, who has acted for Porter and Conheady since the case began in 2019, said his clien
Open original source

[2] ATO issues warning on emerging identity fraud threats

accountantsdaily.com.au · Mar 17, 2026

Expand

AI reading

Miranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the leading source of news, strategy and educational content for professionals working in the SMSF sector. Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest superannuation stories in Australia, and has reported extensively on technical strategy and legislative updates. This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 2014 as the clearest commercial anchors; Milestone-based payments is now more valuable

Buyer takeaway

For Professional Services & HR, the buyer read-through is commercial leverage: scope, validity windows, reopeners, and term structure may now matter as much as headline pricing

Cost / money

The money issue may come through term structure rather than base price alone, especially if suppliers push for escalation language, shorter validity, or broader pass-through

Supplier / commercial

This is primarily a contracting story: revisit scope boundaries, extension mechanics, and which party carries volatility before those assumptions harden in a live tender

Safety / operations

The main operations question is whether the contract still matches field reality. If scope, response times, or liabilities are vague, the risk usually shows up during execution

What to watch

Watch scope creep, liability pushback, and term changes that move volatility back onto the buyer even if the base rate looks manageable

Key facts

  • Miranda Brownlee AUTHOR Miranda Brownlee is the deputy editor of SMSF Adviser, which is the l
  • Since joining the team in 2014, Miranda has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest
  • Tax professionals have been told to remain vigilant and apply strong due diligence practices
  • Recent activity has revealed a growing number of attempts by fraudsters to impersonate taxpay
Open original source

[3] Under the Hood: Inside Australia’s political ‘tax wars’

accountantsdaily.com.au · Mar 16, 2026

Expand

AI reading

17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied! 17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share th Signal relevance for sourcing, contract, or supplier-risk decisions in this category (Accountantsdaily). This matters for Professional Services & HR because contracting activity changes leverage, market appetite, and which clauses buyers can credibly trade with 17, 2026, 4 as the clearest commercial anchors; Substitution/bench clauses is now more valuable

Buyer takeaway

For Professional Services & HR, the buyer read-through is commercial leverage: scope, validity windows, reopeners, and term structure may now matter as much as headline pricing

Cost / money

The money issue may come through term structure rather than base price alone, especially if suppliers push for escalation language, shorter validity, or broader pass-through

Supplier / commercial

This is primarily a contracting story: revisit scope boundaries, extension mechanics, and which party carries volatility before those assumptions harden in a live tender

Safety / operations

The main operations question is whether the contract still matches field reality. If scope, response times, or liabilities are vague, the risk usually shows up during execution

What to watch

Watch scope creep, liability pushback, and term changes that move volatility back onto the buyer even if the base rate looks manageable

Key facts

  • 17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share this article on: Link copied!
  • 17 March 2026 • By Robyn Tongol • 4 minutes read Share Share th Signal relevance for sourcing
  • Mythbusting common policy misconceptions
  • Tax This week on UTH, Emma is joined by Grant Thornton’s national head of technical tax, Davi
Open original source

[4] Accenture

finance.yahoo.com · n.d.

Expand

[5] ADP

finance.yahoo.com · n.d.

Expand

[6] Robert Half

finance.yahoo.com · n.d.

Expand

[7] S&P 500

finance.yahoo.com · n.d.

Expand