The leaked Panama papers database and its user-friendly search engine allows you to search your boss, your neighbour, your parliamentary member, your doctor, or your lawyer.
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Panama Papers: Big leak, big names
World leaders are among the names caught up in the Panama Papers, described as the largest document leak in history.
It is a treasure trove of information containing thousands of names of companies and people using offshore tax havens. It's mandatory reading - a voyeur's paradise.
There is no need to trawl through the lot. Rather than googling a name - just Panama it (see the guide below)
![Robert Gerard is listed as a client of Mossack Fonseca.](/web/20170327231709im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/n/t/b/z/t/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.goqgfi.png/1462858937030.jpg)
In the suburb next to mine, alone, there were five addresses.
It should be noted that those outed on the list are not necessarily engaged in any kind of tax evasion - there are legitimate reasons to operate in offshore tax havens.
But there will be some on it who are attempting to minimise their tax bills.
![The recent exposure of the Panama Papers show how the opportunities for financial crime are increasing, says AUSTRAC.](/web/20170327231709im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/d/c/q/7/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.goqgfi.png/1466981609148.jpg)
Equally the names on the list are only those associated with one particular Panamanian law firm, Mossack Fonseca.
There are plenty more wealthy Australians using offshore accounts in tax havens who won't be mentioned.
As a little timesaver I have typed in some of the names of Australia's rich and famous. No Rupert Murdoch, no James Packer, nor Gina Rinehart, Solomon Lew, Andrew Forrest or even Kerry Stokes. This is a rich list these names don't appear on.
Former Reserve Bank Board member and Liberal Party donor Robert Gerard.
There is also a healthy smattering of Chinese billionaires and mining entrepreneurs.
For example the client list includes Li Ka Shing, whose $US31.1 billion fortune was not troubled by his $396 million fight with the Australian Tax Office; Thomas and Raymond Kwok, whose Hong Kong property empire (which includes Wilson Parking and Wilson Security in Australia) is valued at $US14.7 billion; Hui Ka Yan, whose Evergrande Real Estate group is worth $US9.8 billion; and Chinese billionaire Liang Guangwei, a former People's Liberation Army soldier and head of a state-backed technology conglomerate who recently bought a $64 million block of land next to the new headquarters of the Australian spy agency.
It is a list that will keep even the better resourced Australian Tax Office busy for years.
But more importantly the outing of possible tax skirters will continue the pressure on the Australian government to improve fairness in the tax system. With this year's budget done, ordinary Australians know there will be little if anything by way of income tax breaks.
How to browse the list
![Panama papers](http://web.archive.org./web/20170327231709im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/q/h/n/h/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1462842009420.png)
The easiest way to browse through the local listings is to choose the "search by country" tab, select Australia from the drop down menu and hit search.
That will bring up all the offshore entities. You can then choose the "officers" tab to brows through Australians listed as directors, shareholders or beneficiaries. The "intermediaries" tab will bring up a list of the lawyers and service providers linked to Australia who have helped set up or acted as resisted agents for the offshore companies,
Finally, you can choose the "address" and browse the 1409 local addresses linked to the Panama Papers.
Get more specific
![Panama papers](http://web.archive.org./web/20170327231709im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/q/h/n/m/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1462842178231.png)
From the same page, try typing in your suburb and see which of your neighbours show up.
Melbourne's beachside St Kilda shows up six addresses linked to the more than 200,000 offshore companies registered by Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca and revealed by the Panama Papers.
Four more addresses are linked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists' 2013 Offshore Leaks investigation, which uncovered entities incorporated through Portcullis Trustnet and Commonwealth Trust Limited.
You can then start searching the names of particular people, or entities, like the names of companies.
Down the rabbit hole
![panama papers](http://web.archive.org./web/20170327231709im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/q/h/p/y/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1462842099525.png)
Once you've chosen a person, company or address, it will bring up a visualisation of who is linked to what and how. By clicking on the different entities, you can see even more information about them, including their shareholders, beneficiaries and connections with other companies.
- with Patrick Hatch