Deloitte's WA university merger report cites sources that don't exist

Western Australia paid Deloitte A$166,000 for a study on merging three of its public universities. In mid-October 2026, media reported that the report contained AI-generated references to sources that do not exist. Guardian Australia found a ChatGPT tag in the web address of one cited World Health Organization report. The report's cost tables were also wrong by hundreds of millions of dollars, including one total that was off by A$260 million. Deloitte said it used generative AI for research and proofing and called the errors minor. Education minister Tony Buti first called them typos, then said he was angry. The state is seeking to recover costs, and Deloitte will reissue the report.