Badge of Betrayal

A serious concern was raised at a school. Students needed to be protected. The person accused needed a fair chance to respond. And the institution needed a process strong enough to withstand scrutiny.
In this episode, we examine a publicly available 2006 Tasmanian Industrial Commission decision involving St Patrick’s College. It is not about Paul Reynolds, and it does not prove anything about him. But it does show how difficult and how important institutional process becomes when allegations involve children, trusted adults, missing evidence and career-threatening consequences
Disclaimer:
This episode discusses a publicly available Tasmanian Industrial Commission decision involving allegations made against a teacher in 2006.
The teacher denied the allegations. The Commission ultimately found that the allegations were not proved on the balance of probabilities and recommended that the warning issued to the teacher be withdrawn.
Nothing in this episode should be taken as a finding that the teacher engaged in wrongdoing. Our focus is on the process: how the concern was raised, how the school responded, how evidence was handled, and what the Commission said about procedural fairness.
We are not suggesting wrongdoing by St Patrick’s College, its staff, students or any individual involved. We are reporting on a public decision and examining the broader institutional questions it raises about allegations, evidence, fairness and accountability.
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In this episode, we go back to Tasmania in 2008, when serious allegations about Paul Reynolds were first put in writing inside Tasmania Police.
A newly released RTI reveals three key pieces of correspondence about what was allegedly said in a police bar allegations that Reynolds was a paedophile. But the documents also raise questions about what happened next, and what appears not to have happened.
Was Reynolds questioned? Were all witnesses formally interviewed? Was the matter investigated with the seriousness it deserved?
As calls grow for a parliamentary inquiry into how Tasmania Police handled allegations against Reynolds, this episode asks whether the warning signs were missed, minimised, or allowed to disappear into the system
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In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we examine two deeply sensitive stories that raise the same uncomfortable question: what happens when the person accused is part of the system itself?
The episode begins with allegations involving “John”, a former police officer who later moved into another public-facing role within the Tasmanian system. Through internal documents, witness statements and a Direction 5 Code of Conduct process, we explore claims that were serious enough to raise questions about workplace conduct, accountability and whether warnings were properly handled.
Then, we look at Laura’s story, first reported by the ABC, involving allegations connected to a serving Tasmanian police officer, a family violence order later found to have no legal basis, and concerns about how complaints are handled when police are investigating one of their own.

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***Trigger warning:This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening.
In this episode of Badge of Betrayal, we speak with Tasmania’s Independent Regulator, Louise Coe, about a serious gap in the state’s child safety oversight system.
The Office of the Independent Regulator was created to oversee organisations that work with children and young people, including how they respond to allegations of reportable conduct. But in August 2025, Tasmania Police told the regulator they had received legal advice that they were not captured by the scheme meaning they stopped providing key information, including the identities of police officers involved in reportable conduct matters.
For eight months, that gap remained.
Louise explains why independent oversight matters, why the reporting scheme exists, and why police interactions with vulnerable young people require close scrutiny. She also discusses the importance of backdating the law to cover the period where reporting stopped, and why culture change inside institutions is just as important as technical compliance.
Later in the episode, we share part of an anonymous email from another victim of Paul Reynolds. The email includes graphic and deeply distressing details of alleged grooming, emotional manipulation and sexual abuse, and shows how hearing this podcast has helped some people reframe what happened to them.
If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]
If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au


See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

***Trigger warning:This episode contains discussions of child sexual abuse, grooming, trauma, sexualised behaviour toward minors, and suicide. It may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care while listening.
For years, it was brushed aside as banter. Something uncomfortable, but never fully spoken about.
In this episode, another former student comes forward to describe the influence Reynolds had over a tight-knit group of boys, and the behaviour they are only now, as adults, beginning to understand differently.
He speaks about grief, vulnerability, power, and the way trauma can shape a life long after childhood. He also reflects on why so many men stay silent, and what happens when that silence finally starts to break.
This is a confronting and deeply personal account of shame, silence, masculinity, and the long shadow of things left unsaid.
If you have information that you would like to share, email us anonymously at [email protected]
If this episode is triggering, please pause and seek support.
Lifeline: 13 11 14 — https://www.lifeline.org.au

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 — https://kidshelpline.com.au

1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 — https://www.1800respect.org.au




See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.