Relentless prosecution of whistleblowers David McBride and Richard Boyle may damage the credibility of Australia’s government on the world stage, writes Rex Patrick. Whistleblower protection laws need urgent reform.
“We are committed to ensuring that Australia has effective protections for whistleblowers”, the Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus KC proclaimed at an Australian Public Sector Anti-Corruption Conference in Sydney a week ago. With the skill of a seasoned politician, he did so with a straight face.
Dreyfus pledged his support for the protections knowing full well that the prosecutions of whistleblowers Richard Boyle and David McBride, by the organisations they blew the whistle on, continue relentlessly.
Boyle is in the courts facing criminal charges related to his disclosure of Tax Office abuse of garnishee powers. Enduring garnishee notices issued by ATO allow the Tax Commissioner to unilaterally and completely strip the bank accounts of businesses, leaving them unable to pay employee wages, superannuation, nor supplier. It’s a death warrant.
After Boyle blew the whistle through the ABC’s 4Corners, the Inspector-General of Taxation (IGT) conducted a review into the ATO’s use of garnishee notices and found anomalies in the ATO’s Adelaide office, where Boyle had worked. The irony in the review is, after a botched investigation by the ATO into his initial public interest disclosure, Boyle went to the IGT – who did nothing.
McBride is also in the courts facing criminal...
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