Australian Taxation Office (ATO) whistleblower Richard Boyle has avoided convictions and a jail sentence, seven years after publicly exposing aggressive debt collection practices at the tax office.
The 49-year-old former debt collection officer previously pleaded guilty in South Australia's District Court to four charges, after striking a deal with prosecutors.
After raising concerns about practices internally at the ATO, he went public with the allegations on the ABC's Four Corners program in 2018.
The allegations included that his area within the ATO was instructed to use heavy-handed tactics on taxpayers who owed the tax office money.
In May, he pleaded guilty to the offences of disclosing protected information to another entity, making a record of protected information, using a listening device to record a private conversation and recording another person's tax file number.
The sentencing judge imposed a 12-month good behaviour bond and described his offending as having occurred in "extenuating circumstances".
Boyle was initially charged with 66 offences, but over time, many were dropped.
Over the years since he spoke out publicly, Boyle made several failed attempts to secure immunity from prosecution using whistleblower protections.
He had been scheduled to stand trial later this year, after losing his last chance to secure immunity from prosecution when the High Court refused his application for special leave to appeal.
Boyle had earlier lost an appeal in South...
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