‘Blowing the whistle can be a tough gig,’ Adelaide judge says, while Rex Patrick declares Boyle ‘a hero’ for speaking out in 2018
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Whistleblower Richard Boyle has been spared jail after exposing unethical debt-collection practices at the Australian Taxation Office.
Judge Liesl Kudelka sentenced Boyle, 49, in the South Australian district court on Thursday, seven years after the former debt collection officer went public with allegations that led to reforms within the ATO.
In a plea deal with prosecutors, the Adelaide man admitted four criminal charges, reduced from the original 66 laid after he appeared on the ABC’s Four Corners program, where he exposed unethical debt recovery practices at the tax office.
Family and supporters sobbed in court when Boyle received no conviction on all four counts, no penalty and a $500, 12-month good behaviour bond.
“Blowing the whistle can be a tough gig”, Kudelka said. She accepted his poor mental health was directly linked to his offending.
Addressing a protest in support of Boyle outside court, the Whistleblower Justice Fund founder, Rex Patrick, said Boyle and his wife Louise had “been through hell”.
“Richard Boyle is a hero,” he said.
“He actually thought he was protected. It’s taken four judges, and silks and lawyers to work out whether or not he was protected.
“He went in thinking he was, but it turns out that he wasn’t. All he did was press a record button, he took a...
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