Overview

• South Australia’s District Court recorded no convictions and imposed a $500, 12-month good behaviour bond, with Judge Liesl Kudelka citing extenuating circumstances.
• Boyle had pleaded guilty in May to four reduced charges from an original 66, including disclosing protected information and secretly recording workplace conversations.
• The judge accepted Boyle’s compromised mental health and noted that whistleblowing can be a “tough gig”, while cautioning that it does not excuse unlawful conduct.
• Independent senators David Pocock and Jacqui Lambie have a bill before parliament to establish a Whistleblower Protection Authority, as advocates renew calls for broader reform.
• Boyle’s 2018 disclosures about heavy-handed ATO debt recovery were later validated by reviews and prompted internal reforms after his attempts to claim statutory immunity failed in the courts.