ATO whistleblower Richard Boyle faces trial after immunity defence fails

Human rights advocate says decision is a ‘major blow for Australian democracy’ and shows whistleblower protections are ‘utterly broken’

• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates
• Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast

Whistleblower Richard Boyle will face a trial and potential prison term after judge Liesl Kudelka found his actions were not immune from prosecution under the Public Interest Disclosure (PID) Act.

Boyle’s case has been seen as a critical test of the laws and their ability to protect whistleblowers, and Kieran Pender from the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) said the decision showed that the law was “utterly broken”.