A former Australian Taxation Office employee who blew the whistle on the “intimidation tactics” of his employer during debt collection will face a criminal trial for speaking out.
On Monday, Richard Boyle, 47, learned his fate in the Adelaide District Court, where Judge Liesl Kudelka dismissed civil action to have the criminal charges thrown out.
Mr Boyle, a former ATO debt collector, had his Edwardstown home raided in April 2018 after expressing concerns about practices in the office, and telling ABC’s Four Corners that staff in Adelaide had been instructed to “start issuing standard garnishees on every case.”
He now faces 66 criminal charges, including disclosure of protected information, monitoring private conversations, and recording personal information.
Section 10 of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 states that an individual who makes a public interest disclosure is “not subject to any civil, criminal or administrative liability (including disciplinary action) for making the public interest disclosure.”
Mr Boyle is facing a hefty prison sentence for blowing the whistle on ATO practices. Picture: NewsWire / David Mariuz
However, Judge Kudelka found that Mr Boyle would not benefit from the section.
“The applicant has made a claim that he is immune from any criminal liability,” she said.
“I have found that he is not protected by Section 10 of the Public Interest, Disclosure Act 2013 from criminal liability.”
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