Peter Ridd and the Case for Academic Freedom

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When the High Court of Australia handed down its decision on 13 October 2021 endorsing James Cook University's actions to terminate the employment of Dr Peter Ridd, it was not only a dealt a devastating blow to the principle of academic and intellectual freedom, it endorsed a culture of censorship around any debate on climate science. The commentary surrounding the High Court's decision in Ridd v James Cook University (2021) has misunderstood both the legal analysis of Dr Ridd's case and the proper role of the intellectual freedom in a robust academic system. Dr Peter Ridd and the Case for Academic Freedom corrects the record on the High Court's incoherent reasoning and explains why Dr Ridd's campaign in the courts was so important on shining a light on the ongoing threat to freedom of speech on Australian campuses.

Table of Contents

Introduction - Morgan Begg

Background and observations - Peter Ridd

Academic freedom in a system beyond repair? - Morgan Begg

A pyrrhic victory for James Cook University - Chris Merritt

Universities and turbulent academics - James Allan

A cascade of injustice: A critical review of the Ridd case - Aynsley Kellow

Appendix: Extracts of key legal documents

James Cook University Enterprise Agreement 2013-2016

James Cook University Staff Code of Conduct (28 April 2016)

Contributors