John Temple-Cole

John is a CA Forensic Accounting Specialist, with over 25 years’ experience in leading complex disputes and financial  accounting investigations, including:

• expert opinions on loss and damages in commercial disputes, international arbitration and class actions
• financial investigations and ‘Forensic audit’ engagements
• investigation of accounting irregularities
• quantification of loss, costs or profits in major project disputes
• opinions concerning the basis of accounting disclosures in financial statements
• fraud and tax avoidance investigations
• flow of funds and asset tracing.

John has provided expert evidence and been cross-examined in a range of Australian Courts and tribunals, the High Court of Singapore and in domestic and international arbitration proceedings.

John is also a Director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), a not-for-profit which aims to o change laws and practices that cause injustice and inequality. He is also a member of the Users Council of the Australian centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA).

John is recognised by Who’s Who Legal as a leading Forensic Accountant, Arbitration expert witness and consulting expert.

John is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (FCA) and a Fellow Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (FCA, UK).

Significant engagements

• Dick Smith. Engaged by solicitors acting for the audit firm against which various claims and cross-claims were brought following the collapse of well-known home electronics retail chain Dick Smith, concerning the accounting for inventory. The Class Actions were subsequently withdrawn. 
• Engaged by the NSW DPP to provide independent expert evidence to review large volumes of accounting and financial information. The accused were each found guilty. [R v Macdonald; R v Edward Obeid; R v Moses Obeid (No 17) [2021] NSWSC 858].
• Licence dispute between Aircraft manufacturer and Chinese license partner in an ICC international arbitration matter.
• Consumer products, China master franchise dispute. Preparation of expert’s reports in ICC international arbitration hearing.
• Acciona Australia v Transport for New South Wales. Costs analysis in proceedings alleging misleading and deceptive conduct for the Design and Construct contract for the $1.5 billion Sydney Light Rail project.

Languages

• Working proficiency in spoken and written Chinese (Mandarin).