From the Institute for Public Affairs
Supreme Court rules Peter Ridd’s free speech case
Gideon Rozner
February 11, 2021
The Public Affairs Institute today welcomed the historic High Court ruling in the James Cook University (JCU) case against Peter Ridd, given by Dr. Peter Ridd has given special permission to make his final appeal.
“This will be the most significant test case for academic freedom in a generation to be settled by the country’s highest court,” said Gideon Rozner, director of policy at IPA.
“Today’s decision continues David and Goliath’s battle on the fundamental issue of freedom of expression against a university administration backed by millions of taxpayers’ money,” said Rozner.
Dr. Peter Ridd, Professor of Physics at JCU, was fired from the university for grave misconduct for challenging the science of climate change in IPA’s 2017 publication Climate Change: The Facts about the Great Barrier Reef, and for public statements on the Jones & Co program on Sky News Australia.
“James Cook University has hired some of the country’s most expensive legal representatives to suppress the freedom of speech of one of its own employees, despite crying badly about funding the university after the coronavirus. This creates a massive cooling effect for any academic engaging in public debate in Australia, ”said Rozner
“The shameful acts of James Cook University prove without a doubt that there is a crisis of free speech in Australian universities. Many academics are censored, but few are willing to speak out and risk their careers, especially when the prospect of litigation and possible bankruptcy arises. “
The IPA called on the Senate to pass the 2020 Higher Education Support (Freedom of Speech) Act, which aims to ensure that the dismissal of an academic like Dr. Peter Ridd can never happen again.
“The cases of Peter Ridd at James Cook University, Drew Pavlou at the University of Queensland, and the pressure on scholars across the country on political issues related to China have undoubtedly shown that there is a crisis of freedom of speech in Australian universities,” said Rozner.
“The case has identified a culture of censorship when it comes to challenging claims related to climate change and the Great Barrier Reef. To this day, the JCU has never attempted to substantiate Dr. Ridd about the Great Barrier Reef, ”said Rozner.
Listen to The Heretic: In Peter Ridd’s Struggle for Free Speech on Climate Change at www.ipa.org.au/TheHeretic
Full article here.
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