Yes, Reflux, an apt description of yourself, finally acknowledged

SR,

As I said, I did stand to be corrected so I now accept that the NTEU was involved with inserting the intellectual freedom clause. However, given that the NTEU is left wing even compared to most unions, I would guess that the clause was to protect the more outrageous commentary from the far left. Given that it was pressure from union members to get him fired, I would guess that this judgement would have given them a fat wake up call that intellectual freedom goes both ways.

Given the general intolerance of the academic left I wouldn't be surprised to see this clause quietly modified at subsequent EAs.

Dear Shadow Minister,

You conjectured;

“Given that it was pressure from union members to get him fired”

Professor Hughes put in a complaint about Ridd to the university administrators as he had ever right to do, but I can not find any record of him calling for Ridd to be dismissed. Those complaints were upheld by the university. It was Ridd subsequently breaking rules of confidentiality that caused the escalation with the administration which led to his ultimate dismissal, certainly not pressure from other staff from what I can ascertain.

So unless you are contending those administrators are also members of the union I don't think your conjecture can be sustained.

How can comment here on OLO not include whether Peter Ridd's question of the GBR facing imminent catastrophe from climate change is a question of substance or not? If he spoke nonsense then surely dismissal would be justified.

Could something else be causing damage to coral believed to be due to climate change, such as eutrophication from nutrient pollution?

I think you OLO people should wake up via links below, to the seriousness of the devastated state of the ocean that includes the GBR. (N.B. see following link dates, all 2019 until now 30 Apr)

Independent evidence indicates causes and solutions:
http://www.latimes.com/science/la-sci-dead-gray-whales-starving-20190426-story.html
AND
A likely cause is toxic algae eaten by small fish dolphin eat.
http://www.treehugger.com/ocean-conservation/3000-dolphins-found-dead-coast-peru.html
AND
Dolphin are competing more and more with fishermen, for dwindling fish.
http://www.france24.com/en/20190329-france-environment-dead-dolphins-beaches-fishing-sea-shepherd-macron

P.S.
http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/science/top-research-projects/domoic-acid-toxicity.html

What about justice for the GBR and the ocean?

Correction. The second link above is dated 2012. Apologies.

Try this one:
http://greenworldwarriors.com/2019/04/21/over-3000-dolphins-found-dead-on-the-coast-of-peru/