Ex-judge pleads guilty after child abuse material displayed in lecture

September 4, 2026 — 4:26pmA former deputy president of the Fair Work Commission has admitted to possessing child abuse material after it was mistakenly displayed during a Monash University lecture.Alan Boulton, 76, pleaded guilty to the two charges at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday afternoon.Alan Boulton (left) leaves the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court.AAPIMAGEHe was silent when media asked questions outside court, and the only words he uttered to magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz were: “Guilty, your honour.”Monash University immediately suspended Boulton and no longer employs him after illicit images flashed up during his lecture delivered in the Melbourne CBD on February 5 last year.Police later interviewed him and seized his electronic devices during a search of his Middle Park home on February 12, 2025. NSW Police also raided his home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs and seized more devices.On Friday, Boulton agreed to plead guilty to possessing child abuse material between February 3 and February 12, 2025. A third charge was withdrawn.He will appear at the County Court for a plea hearing on March 5 next year.Boulton was allowed to travel to Europe when he was granted bail in August last year after his lawyer, Holly Baxter, pointed to his lack of prior criminal history.According to a now-deleted web page on the Monash University website, Boulton graduated from the University of Sydney and was appointed as the first legal officer for the Australian Council of Trade Unions in 1979.He worked with the International Labour Organisation in the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor-Leste, helping to draft new modern labour laws.Alan Boulton, pictured here in 2004, pleaded guilty to possessing child abuse material.Peter RaeThe 76-year-old was made an officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2002 for “distinguished service to industrial arbitration and labour relations”.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.Lachlan Abbott is a crime reporter at The Age. He was previously a city reporter and covered breaking news.Connect via email.From our partners