Professor Ridd wants JCU to drop a misconduct investigation launched following his interview with Alan Jones on Sky News on August 1 in which he criticised the quality of Great Barrier Reef science.
In the interview, he said research findings by major institutions could not be trusted. “We can no longer trust the scientific organisations like the Australian Institute of Marine Science, even things like the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies.
“The science is coming out not properly checked, tested or replicated, and this is a great shame.”
JCU responded in late August by launching a formal investigation for misconduct which could result in Professor Ridd’s employment being terminated.
Professor Ridd engaged legal counsel, with new accusations being made by JCU and Federal Court action being lodged by him.
JCU has said Professor Ridd’s comments were “not in the collegial and academic spirit of the search for knowledge, understanding and truth”. It said his comments had denigrated AIMS and the ARC Centre and were “not respectful and courteous”.
In letters lodged with the court, JCU said Professor Ridd’s comments could damage the reputation of AIMS and the university’s relationship with it.
In a letter to JCU on September 7, Professor Ridd’s legal team, Mahoneys, called on JCU to drop the case. They said the university suffered a conflict of interest in its investigation.
“The vice-chancellor is a council member (akin to a director) of the Australian Institute of Marine Science,” Mahoneys said. “The vice-chancellor is in a position of conflict between her duties and office to the AIMS and to bringing an impartial mind to a decision on the allegations (against Professor Ridd).”
Mahoneys responded on September 27, repeating concerns about conflict of interest: “There are only two conclusions our client can reach as to why the complaint is continuing to be prosecuted: incompetence or actual bias, neither of which is satisfactory or tolerable to our client.”
In the Jones interview, Professor Ridd said: “I think that most of the scientists who are pushing out this stuff — they genuinely believe that there are problems with the reef; I just don’t think they’re very objective about the science they do, I think they’re emotionally attached to their subject.”
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/james-cook-university-slapdown-of-reef-science-critic-heads-to-court/news-story/2be5ccecca2cab24a93662663655b13c
Many of us will recall the shameful sacking of Dr Murry Salby from Macquarie University in 2013 because he was critical of AGW theory, and the blackballing of the late Dr Robert Carter for the same reason.
What is it about Australian universities that makes them think they have the right to trample all over academic freedom of speech?
If Professor Ridd is saying anything outlandish, it should be extremely easy for the “experts” to prove him wrong. Instead they act as if they have something to hide.
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