The imminent trial of former Australian Taxation Office employee Richard Boyle has thrust the issue of whistleblowing back onto the national agenda and prompted calls for the attorney-general to drop the criminal charges against the former public servant.
. He faces 24 charges including telephone tapping, recording of conversations without the consent of all parties, making a record of protected information and in some cases passing that information to a third party. If convicted, he faces prison.
His case threatens to expose a fresh fault line in the battle for integrity in Australian politics, with calls for an independent whistleblowing authority to sort out where the public interest in disclosure lies. Patrick said the case of Defence whistleblower David McBride, who is also being pursued by federal prosecutors for blowing the whistle about war crimes allegedly committed by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan, was so far the only individual being prosecuted over those alleged killings.Compared to other prominent whistleblowers, Boyle took a careful approach. He first made a public interest disclosure to the tax office, which was investigated internally then rejected.
Griffith University professor of public policy and law A.J. Brown, who is also a board member of Transparency International, has researched Australia’s whistleblower laws, finding they need reform.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
More than 10,000 VET students hit with 'historical' debts after computer glitchMore than 90 per cent of the loans relate to study in 2017, with a total of 10,252 students asked to pay back old loans that became 'stuck' in a computer system.
Read more »
Thai court rules Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has not exceeded eight-year limitPrayuth Chan-ocha's tenure as prime minister will be counted from 2017 when a new constitution was promulgated, not from when he seized power as leader of a junta formed after a coup he led eight years ago.
Read more »
Queensland makes right tax callOPINION: Queensland’s retreat on property tax would be a win for everyone if it turned into a wider overhaul of taxes
Read more »
Queensland government shelves controversial land tax changes as treasurer defends policyPremier Annastacia Palaszczuk denied the move was a backdown on her government's land tax policy.
Read more »