Whistleblower Richard Boyle: ‘I didn’t have a chance, did I?’

‘I personally am broken, physically, mentally, and financially,’ whistleblower Richard Boyle said in an address at the 2024 Walkley Awards.

Above: Richard Boyle spoke at the 69th Walkley Awards in Sydney on 19 November, 2024. Photo: Adam Hollingworth @ Hired Gun.

Many of you know of my whistleblowing story, and what I stood up against at the end of my fourteen-year career at the Australian Taxation Office.

As a quick recap, in mid 2017, as the financial year wrapped up, staff across the country, not just Adelaide, were instructed to take money out of people’s bank accounts, shutting down many small to medium businesses without due cause.

It did not matter to the Tax Office if their debts were incorrect.

In fact, I was sanctioned for accessing a young taxpayer’s case more than once, as many of us did every day, to ensure that the tax system was administered fairly, efficiently and honestly.

Some months after this ‘cash grab’ in June 2017, I wrote a formal public interest disclosure to outline this abuse of power, as well as the other significant failures of administration by the Tax Office that I was observing.

And who did I have to send that complaint to, by law?

To the Australian Taxation Office.

I didn’t have a chance, did I?

After I had navigated this ineffectual and broken Commonwealth public interest disclosuree process, that the ATO botched, and that South Australian courts have found was incorrect at law, I took my complaint to the Inspector General of Taxation.

Once again, there was no action, no feedback, no investigation.

When all of these processes were exhausted, I took my story to the media.

The Four Corners episode titled ‘Mongrel Bunch of Bastards’, ensured that there was enough public pressure to achieve lasting reform and change.

After multiple investigations, by multiple government departments, only then did this type of vile abuse by the ATO cease.

Abuse that gravely risked the health and safety of the public, was stopped dead in its tracks.

The resulting reforms that have been implemented, safeguard against this type of abuse of power in the future.

This is the power of the fourth estate, and your incredibly important craft, that we are celebrating here tonight.

This is why we need robust whistleblower protections in Australia.

The legislation and whistleblower protections introduced by Australia’s Attorney General, the Honourable Mark Dreyfus KC MP, in 2013, have failed spectacularly.

I am grateful to the ABC for reporting on this issue outside the District Court of South Australia, last Monday.

My criminal trial is now set to proceed in a year’s time, commencing 3 November 2025, unencumbered by Drefyus’ so-called whistleblower protection laws.

This date at the end of next year for my criminal trial, will be eight and a half years after we were instructed to take this oppressive “cash grab”, against the Australian people.

Eight and a half years.

This is absurd.

The Commonwealth Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 is clearly deficient and defunct.

I do not know how anyone could be proud of this legislation.

In these intervening years, Louise and I should have been starting a family, buying a house, settling into the routines of life together.

Instead we are here with you tonight, both completely and utterly broken.

Louise can speak for herself, but I personally am broken, physically, mentally, and financially.

I am a survivor.

What do we need to do to re-establish faith and confidence in our public service, and our Commonwealth Institutions?

I propose we need three vital qualities: FAIRNESS, TRUST and TRANSPARENCY.

I thank all of you who have written articles about my case.

I hope that you all can continue to advocate for fairness, transparency and trust, in our government, and governance in this country.

I hope that you might keep my story alive, and hold the current executive government to account, for their promise BEFORE the last election, and in the words of our Prime Minister, to: 

“Protect whistleblowers, expand protections and the public interest test. Delays (to Freedom of Information), obstacles, costs & exemptions make it easier for government to hide information from the public. That is just not right.”

Louise and I thank you deeply for your support.

Thank you again, and enjoy your special night tonight.

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Walkley Foundation calls on the government to ensure whistleblowers are ‘safeguarded, rather than punished’

The Walkley Foundation chair, Adele Ferguson, and Walkley director and Chair of the Walkley Judging Board, Sally Neighbour, followed Richard Boyle’s speech with a message to the Attorney-General and the Prime Minister:

“In June this year, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the government was ‘committed to delivering strong, effective and accessible protections for whistleblowers’.

“The Walkley Foundation calls on the Attorney-General and the Prime Minister to deliver on that promise as a matter of urgency. 

“Further, we urge the government to honour the pledge it made five years ago to create a Whistleblower Protection Authority to ensure whistleblowers are safeguarded, rather than punished, for their contribution. 

Thank you.”