Skip navigation

Help fund Richard Boyle's High Court appeal!

Note: We have now successfully raised the money needed. Any further donations will go toward raising awareness about Richard Boyle's High Court appeal.

Tax office whistleblower Richard Boyle's last chance to avoid a criminal trial is a High Court appeal. If successful, it will be historic. 

The bad news? Legal Aid can’t fund the first stage of Richard’s appeal. It means if Richard is to have any chance of pleading his case in the High Court, he needs $23,606 by 15 August.

After witnessing vulnerable people being targeted in a vicious Robodebt-style scheme, Richard blew the whistle at the Australian Tax Office. He did the right thing to help folks in need and he’s being prosecuted for it.

If enough people chip in, we can help Richard!

We’ve been advised it is highly likely Legal Aid will come on board to help fund Richard’s appeal – but only at the next stage. This will only be possible if we raise the necessary interim costs to help Richard launch his appeal. And if he can’t find these funds? Richard will face 24 criminal charges – and the real threat of jail – in just a matter of weeks. The choice is clear.

Will you chip in to help fund Richard Boyle’s urgent High Court appeal?

Richard Boyle worked at the tax office when he witnessed aggressive debt collection powers being used unethically to target people in vulnerable situations.

Boyle spoke up internally, then to the Tax Ombudsman. After being ignored, he went to the ABC and other media as a last resort, thinking he was protected by Australia's whistleblower protection laws. Instead, his home was raided and he was charged.

Since then, Boyle has been fighting for his freedom. Boyle lost his legal bid to be declared immune from prosecution in March 2023 and in June 2024 lost his appeal of that decision. He is due face trial later this year. His last legal avenue to avoid trial before then is a High Court appeal.

One whistleblower has already been thrown in jail this year. In May, whistleblower David McBride was sentenced to almost six years in jail for speaking out about war crimes in Afghanistan. His case sets a scary precedent for our democracy – but also Richard Boyle. 

While Australia has laws that are meant to protect whistleblowers like Richard Boyle and David McBride from prosecution, they don’t work. Even if you do everything right you could still face prosecution and years in jail.

In April, it was revealed that successive governments have spent more than $280,000 prosecuting Richard Boyle. All because he told the truth. The Albanese Government could drop Richard’s prosecution with the flick of a pen, but instead they have continued the Coalition’s shameful legacy of prosecuting whistleblowers.

That’s why he’s now turned to the public for help.

As long as the government continues its war on whistleblowers, we must refuse to abandon people like Richard Boyle.

Can you chip in to help fund Richard Boyle's whistleblower High Court appeal?

1. Select your amount

$

Payment options

You're almost done! Click the button below to enter your contact details.

Payment method information has been saved.

Change payment method


Your information

Edit

Edit ,

Contributions are not tax deductible.

Payment information

Please select an amount