Alan Boulton, 76, a long-time senior member of the Fair Work Commission, has admitted to possessing child abuse material. He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing child abuse material in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.
Prosecutors withdrew a charge of engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16 outside of Australia. The offending material was found on computer or data storage devices between February 3 and February 12, 2025. Boulton "inadvertently displayed" inappropriate images during a Monash University lecture in February 2025, according to charge sheets.
The incident prompted a police investigation. Officers interviewed Boulton at his Middle Park home, where electronic devices were seized. Police also searched a second property in Sydney, seizing additional devices.
Boulton, a former Australian Council of Trade Unions lawyer, was appointed deputy president of the Fair Work Commission in 1989 and became senior deputy president in 1993, serving until 2015. His bail was extended with conditions including residing at either his Sydney or Melbourne address, not contacting prosecution witnesses, and notifying police of any address changes within 24 hours. He is scheduled to appear before the Victorian County Court on March 5 for a pre-sentence hearing.