Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, discussed the decision by the South Australian District Court to dismiss Richard Boyle’s whistleblowing defence. Mr Boyle is being prosecuted for blowing the whistle on unethical debt recovery practices within the Australian Taxation Office.
This judgement shows again how deficient the federal Public Interest Disclosure Act is,” Mr Wilkie said. “Mr Boyle would never have been in this position if we had strong whistleblower protections in place.
“The Federal Government understands there are deficiencies and is reviewing the Act. But until that review is completed and the Act is amended, the Government should do the right thing and drop the legal action against Mr Boyle.
“Whistleblowers are vital to a healthy democracy and should be protected, not punished. This case reveals the urgent need for reform, including the creation of a whistleblower protection authority that covers both the public and private sectors.”