EN0981 Richard Boyle whistleblower

Dear Petitioner,


This is to provide you with an update on the progress of your recent petition on the following terms.

Petition number:	EN0981 (Please quote in future correspondence)
Date submitted:	19/07/2019
Number of signatures:	464

Terms:

• Reason: Richard Boyle is a former ATO staff member who is currently facing 161 years in jail for blowing the whistle on the ATO for its use of heavy handed tactics and revenue targets as motivation in its collection of debts. Before going public with this information he disclosed his concerns under the Public Interest Disclosure Act to the ATO where they were investigated and dismissed. He subsequently went public with this information which resulted in a investigation by Four Corners for ABC titled "Mongrel bunch of bastards". The issues he raised have since been reviewed by Treasury and the Inspector General of Taxation and resulted in changes to laws yet he is now on trial, having been charged with 66 offences, though his actions were clearly performed for the public good.
• Request: We therefore ask the House to ask the Attorney General to intervene in this matter and end the prosecution of Richard Boyle. Prosecuting this individual will greatly discourage any other potential whistle-blowers from coming forward and further erode public faith in our institutions. 

The petition was considered at a recent meeting of the Committee, and certified as meeting the requirements for petitions. It was presented to the House on 9/09/2019 and has recently been referred to the Attorney-General. Under the petition requirements, Ministers have 90 days from presentation in the House to respond to a petition.  



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Terms:

• Reason: Richard Boyle is a former ATO staff member who is currently facing 161 years in jail for blowing the whistle on the ATO for its use of heavy handed tactics and revenue targets as motivation in its collection of debts. Before going public with this information he disclosed his concerns under the Public Interest Disclosure Act to the ATO where they were investigated and dismissed. He subsequently went public with this information which resulted in a investigation by Four Corners for ABC titled "Mongrel bunch of bastards". The issues he raised have since been reviewed by Treasury and the Inspector General of Taxation and resulted in changes to laws yet he is now on trial, having been charged with 66 offences, though his actions were clearly performed for the public good.
• Request: We therefore ask the House to ask the Attorney General to intervene in this matter and end the prosecution of Richard Boyle. Prosecuting this individual will greatly discourage any other potential whistle-blowers from coming forward and further erode public faith in our institutions.

A response from the Attorney-General was presented in the House on 10/02/2020 and you can find a copy of the response here.

Petition number:	EN0981 (Please quote in future correspondence)
Date submitted:	19/07/2019
Number of signatures:	464