Australian Taxation Office (ATO) whistleblower Richard Boyle has pleaded guilty to four charges, including taping private conversations without consent.
The former debt collection officer became an internal whistleblower in October 2017, when he grew concerned about operations in the tax office.
When he felt his complaints were ignored, he went public on Four Corners about the culture at the ATO, including allegations his area was instructed to use heavy-handed tactics on taxpayers who owed the tax office money.
Boyle was originally facing 66 charges, but over time many were dropped.
In South Australia’s District Court on Tuesday, he pleaded guilty to disclosing protected information, making a record of protected information, using a listening device to record private conversations and recording another person’s tax file number.
Boyle had been trying to invoke whistleblower protections to avoid a criminal trial.
Hellbound and Down 