Peter Ridd, sacked by James Cook University for telling the truth and exposing lies about the barrier reef, has won his case against that organisation.

The Federal Court has found that Ridd's termination was unlawful. Penalties will be fixed at a later date.

Ridd had the right to ignore university administrators and to continue to speak out, the Court found.

I am heartened to see justice done in this case, although I'd say the judge has been removed from more than a few guest lists.

Ridd has challenged the academia model of talking up minor problems to enhance the grants received, & offering faulty research results, if that is what government wants.

It is a standing joke in the north, among people who spend a lot of time on the reef, just how bad the media published stories are. "Is that our reef they are talking about" is a common question. We need more Peter Ridds to even start to get some honesty into academia.

Wouldn't it be great if we had a government strong enough to cut off all funding from James Cook, until the people who attempted this miscarriage of justice were removed from the institution.

One would think that scientists, by their very nature, would be compelled to speak the true facts, not face dismissal for presenting data that may prove unpopular or embarrassing. Seems nothing has been learned from the denigration of progressive scientists in the past.
I’m delighted he won his case.

In a statement James Cook University's Provost
Professor Chris Cocklin disagreed with the judge
and said the University was - "Considering its
options."

"We are also troubled by the fact that he fails
to refer to any legal precedent or case law in
Australia to support his interpretation of our
enterprise agreement, or academic freedom in Australia
employment law." The statement said.

Provost Professor Cocklin maintained in the statement
that Dr Ridd was not sacked because of his "scientific
views."

"Peter Ridd was never gagged or silenced," the statement
said.

"We maintain we have not taken issue with Dr Ridd's,
nor any other employers right to academic freedom.
What was an issue was how he communicated about
others, how he denigrated others, and how he
breached confidentiality, which impacted not only on him,
but on others."

More hearings are to be set for a later date.

Good, but nothing will change.
My mommy said; if you can't say anything "nice", don't say anything, so nothing to say about educational institutions.

...more than...in my area, the local Council contracted Newcastle uni to tick-off a sewage outfall into the ocean, when within an hours drive is Southern Cross uni.
This uni also has a marine biology department in Coffs Harbour, an hour south.

Not hard to work out why!

Dan

Oh I was taught the Barrier reef would be finished by the turn of last century. What percentage of our budget now goes to scaremongers who claim to be part of the solution while really are the problem. Thank God for men like Ridd and Folau who despite being treated as deplorables have far more integrity than the swamp.