Uni’s freedom fight wrong
I HAVE to comment on the article “Ridd dispute back in court”.
James Cook University has always been held in the highest esteem in the North Queensland regional community.
I can remember when it was first opened and the community was proud of the fact that the campus was unique, that it served this region and that it was not influenced by the major capital universities.
Today, I will take that opinion back, as the quote in court from Bret Walker representing JCU said that “freedom … is not without limits, restriction or standard”.
Well, I thought Australia was still a democratic country and freedom was not something that was to be judged by the university or any other person, it is a right of every Australian to be the judge of their freedom.
One has to say that it seems the JCU has now usurped our freedom and become a judge as to what constitutes intellectual freedom and the right to express certain views, and who decides what is bullying, harassment or intimidation.
If you remove the freedom to express your opinion on research carried out by other bodies and researchers, then the credibility of the science and the veracity of the scientific findings will lack the transparency and rigorous interrogation that is the hallmark of quality scientific findings.
As the expression goes if “everyone thinks the same then someone is not thinking” and a diverse outcome will never be achieved. Judge Salvatore Vasta found the university actions were unlawful.
JCU could not accept this verdict and is now spending desperately needed money to fight this action.
By any measure this would have to be unviable, surely the law and economics professors would caution their students against such actions.
One can only assume that this is a personal decision to fight the case.
JCU is financed by government money, which is our taxes working for education, and at no time did we give JCU and the top, highly paid staff the right to become judge of what is freedom.
I read in the paper that JCU’S vicechancellor Professor Sandra Harding is always asking and receiving money from the Government for pathways and buildings.
Her job is to keep JCU educating our young people and not spending the taxpayers’ dollars on whatever court case that the upper ranks of JCU decide.
Also they do not have the right to interpret what limits, restrictions or standards to impose on our intellectual freedom of science and learning.
Perhaps Ms Harding should desist from such frivolous money-wasting court actions, before she asks the Federal Government for any more of our hard-earned money, or perhaps the money should go towards support for students who have been disadvantaged by the COVID-19 pandemic as the aid package is only $500,000.
I wonder what is the legal cost for JCU to pursue the Ridd case?
Peter Ridd has 20 years of runs on the board, and questions and concerns on any science and research on the Great Barrier Reef have to be proved and challenged over and over again.
I cannot imagine the “Reef is dead” mantra that would have been chanted when the natural event Tropical Cyclone Althea hit Townsville and Balgal Beach was covered with all species of coral and it was near impossible to walk on the beach. Oh gosh, did I give a free opinion?
SANDRA CHESNEY,
Jensen.