Richard Boyle

ATO debt collection

Richard Boyle is facing court in South Australia for divulging the Australian Tax Office’s unfair and unethical debt recovery practices. The controversial and aggressive use of garnishee notices to recover debts devastated businesses and destroyed livelihoods and has since been changed.

He raised his concerns first with the Inspector General of Taxation in 2017, then went public in 2018 when he saw no action. He now faces 24 charges with the possibility many years in prison if found guilty. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions indicated at a Senate hearing that the case was being reviewed but our hopes that the charges may be dropped have been dashed and the case continues.

Richard will be presenting his public interest disclosure defence in the Adelaide District Court, lower Ground Floor, Sir Samuel Way Building, 241 Victoria Square (western side) on Tuesday 4 October 2022. There will be an action in support of Richard at the court that morning.

The Law Report on ABC RN on Tuesday 27 April 2021 addressed Richard’s case.

See Adele Ferguson’s article, ATO whistleblower facing 161-year prison sentence says he ‘almost died from the stress’ ABC News, 3 June 2019.

Featured
Pressure mounting for AG to drop prosecutions of whistleblowers, McBride and Boyle
Pressure mounting for AG to drop prosecutions of whistleblowers, McBride and Boyle

A group of 17 international whistleblowing organisations have written to AG Dreyfus asking that he halt the prosecutions of whistleblowers, former ADF lawyer David McBride and ex ATO officer, Richard Boyle. They state that Australia's reputation is being harmed by the prosecutions.

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Whistleblower Richard Boyle feared ATO tactics would cause ‘suicide in community’, court hears, Tory Shepherd, the Guardian, 6 October 2022
Whistleblower Richard Boyle feared ATO tactics would cause ‘suicide in community’, court hears, Tory Shepherd, the Guardian, 6 October 2022

The whistleblower Richard Boyle has told a court of his fears that the actions of the Australian Taxation Office would lead to “suicide and death in the community”.
Boyle alleged ATO employees were put under pressure to bypass normal negotiations with taxpayers who owed money and move quickly towards more aggressive tactics.

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Suppression Orders Lifted for Richard Boyle
Suppression Orders Lifted for Richard Boyle

“The South Australian courts have lifted suppression orders that would have stymied the media’s ability to report on a landmark case launched by tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle.”

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Media articles on Richard Boyle’s case

Media articles on ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle’s case

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