The heads of one of Australia's biggest construction groups have reiterated their disappointment with a consultancy at the centre of an audit leak scandal, as it prepares to find a new auditor after almost 70 years.

Lendlease boss Tony Lombardo and chair John Gillam appeared before a powerful federal parliamentary committee examining the actions of KPMG as part of its oversight of the corporate regulator in Canberra on Friday.

The firm, which has more than half a billion dollars in taxpayer-funded government contracts, is feeling the heat over the alleged misuse of confidential board papers and the treatment of a whistleblower who raised concerns.

In 2023, the whistleblower complained that audit team members had used information in the Lendlease board papers to tender for the auditing work of other corporations.

Mr Lombardo confirmed on Friday that in May 2025, he met with KPMG's then-Australia boss Andrew Yates, who raised the whistleblower matter.

"It was alleged that the whistleblower had information about the use of Lendlease's board papers and the allegation was around those documents being stored in an individual's locker," he told the committee.

Earlier this year, there was another meeting between Lendlease's chief financial officer and Mr Yates, who advised that the documents included a board committee scorecard of KPMG rivals PwC and EY.

KPMG has held the audit contract for Lendlease for 68 years, but it will be put out for tender next year once the current one is...

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