, which revealed that his area of the ATO in Adelaide had been instructed to use more heavy-handed debt collection tactics on taxpayers who owed the ATO money.
Boyle’s testimony and evidence included an email sent out by an ATO team leader in May 2017 to a dozen workers in the Adelaide office saying, “the last hour of power is upon us ... that means you still have time to issue another five garnishees … right?”I couldn’t sleep, and my health spiralled into what I describe as a devastating situation.
A Senate inquiry was launched into the ATO’s investigation into Boyle’s disclosure to examine why the ATO had dismissed his claims. It found the investigation to be “superficial”.Former senator Rex Patrick, who was on the Senate committee, says he would have preferred the word “botched”, and says the findings of the committee should have been enough for the attorney-general to stop the prosecution.
The CDPP reduced the charges to 24, but if Boyle is found guilty, he could still face decades in jail.But this week is crunch time. Patrick will join a group of speakers at a rally on Tuesday in front of the District Court in Adelaide, as a show of support and hope that something might give.