Anneliese Cooper, the acting senior lawyer at the centre, expressed her approval of the recent legal development earlier this month, regarding it as a significant advancement.

“In Australia, far too many individuals who choose to blow the whistle are met with retaliation due to gaps, exceptions, and overly detailed requirements within the current whistleblowing legislation,” Cooper stated.

This development comes on the heels of a different court ruling, which concluded that whistleblowers who collect evidence in preparation for a public interest disclosure are not shielded by the immunity provisions in existing laws.

It follows a separate legal ruling that determined whistleblowers gathering evidence ahead of a public interest disclosure weren’t protected by immunity clauses in the laws.

Boyle pleaded guilty in May to disclosing protected information, making a recording of protected information and recording private conversations after a lengthy court battle following his exposure of predatory collection practices by the Australian Tax Office.