Professor Peter Ridd facing misconduct charges for not selling peer review as sacred unquestionable testimony

Professor Peter Ridd has made the mistake of putting scientific standards ahead of collegial comfort. What was he thinking?

He seems to feel he should serve the people of the Queensland instead of helping the careers of co-workers and admin staff. As if he should speak out on a matter of conscience to try to save the four major industries of the state from financial ruin.

Obviously, as a profit-making institution, James Cook is doing the only thing it can — sending a dire message to all staff they they will risk their job if they mistakenly think they have academic free speech. Though he is proposing more jobs for scientists, by definition, this will create more work, and raise standards for the current employees of James Cook. We can’t have that.

Jennifer Marohasy has more details. Apparently, in The Australian, he dared suggest that we need a group of scientists to check the pronouncements on the Great BArrier Reef:

The federal government is set to spend more than $1 billion on the Great Barrier Reef in the next few years to mitigate the effects of climate change, based largely on research that is claimed not to have […]