Peter Ridd Action Fund is here.
From the action fund page.
JCU Appeals.
We must fight again, and will need about $1.5M AUD to take this as far as the High Court if necessary.
Last year I was fired by James Cook University after saying that Great Barrier Reef science institutions were untrustworthy due to their systemic lack of quality assurance processes. This was after a distinguished career of over 30 years working on the Great Barrier Reef and at the university.
With remarkable public support in this GoFundMe campaign, we raised legal funds to challenge the university and the Judge ruled that JCU had acted unlawfully on 28 counts and ruled that JCU should pay compensation of $1.2 million.
But now JCU has filed papers in court to appeal.
There are many important points of principle that we must fight for.
· An academic should be able to make challenging statements about controversial subjects such as the Great Barrier Reef or climate change.
· A university should never stifle debate
· The university should not silence a local scientist whose work shows that the farmers of North Queensland Australia are not destroying the Great Barrier Reef. JCU has let down its local region.
· Universities must start to reflect a greater diversity of views.
On hearing that JCU was appealing, Cheryl and I seriously considered just walking away. After all, why should I ask donors for $1.5M to fight a pointless battle that the State or Federal education ministers could settle with a phone call to JCU. $1.5M is a crazy amount that could be used for much better things.
JCU will use its infinite financial resources – effectively government money – to appeal. They have hired three or four senior barristers, one of which we are told charges over $20K per day and between them must be over $40K per day.
Last week JCU also stayed the judgement and capped my access to the compensation for legal fees.
So I must very regretfully ask again for help. We need the best legal assistance to ensure a win. My fabulous legal team led by Stuart Wood AM QC has greatly discounted their costs so far. But appeals are horribly expensive and we need to be prepared to ultimately go to the High Court.
Your donation, great or small, will not just help me fund this essential battle, it will also send a powerful message to governments about what the public expect of our universities. It might well take a couple of months to reach the target.
It is a crazy world that we have to spend this much for legal costs, but this is a fight that we have to win because of the principles it represents.
I have little doubt that we will win.
Note: because the public already donated $260K to this fund for the original court case, the target is set to $1.760M ($260K plus $1.5M). Note this does not include the funds that Cheryl and I have contributed so far (about $200K). Any funds that might be left over will be donated for Science Quality Assurance purposes or to promote academic freedom.
Notice to Appeal https://platogbr.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/notice-of-appeal-jcu-v-ridd-stamped-1.pdf
HT/scarface and Roy M
Gotta wonder whether JCU is getting $$ from outside (e.g., China, Soros, other NGOs).
It seems to me to be an unreasonable use of university funds. Are there any university rules about this? — about what university funds are allowed to be spent on? … or how much?
This is an obvious use of financial leverage to deter an individual from pursuing the issue, hoping to grind down the individual under the sheer weight of effort required to continue.
Sleazebags.
I wonder if Professor Ridd can counter-sue to have the court increase how much JCU has to pay. JCU’s appeal is a continuation of it’s prohibited vendetta against Dr. Ridd. This new attempt to subject Dr. Ridd to yet more stress, suffering, and denigration would seem to commensurately warrant additional penalties against the JCU. Similarly, the JCU’s lack of institutional “remorse” and lack of respect for the court suggests much higher punishment is justified. Perhaps the raising JCU’s penalties by a factor of 10x or 20x will drive home the point that disparaging the court and ignoring its ruling will not be tolerated.
You have to wonder why the JCU is taking this action .
My explanation is that the Great Barrier Reef is in an Icon in the same category as polar bears , receding glaciers and the claims about an ice free Arctic. And then there is the stories of accelerating sea levels and more destructive storms and hurricanes.
As Peter Ridd has stated the Great Barrier Reef is not at risk and there is no need for alarm.
The wider population around the world take little notice of the climate debate but the icons stay in their mind. Starving polar bears carving glaciers and images of bleached coral.
If Peter Ridd is allowed to tell the truth from the JCU then people will take note but once he is sacked he will not be quoted by the media .
From my own experience the media is extremely biased on what they print or screen .
Graham
Just tried to donate – gofundme did not like my Discover card. Maybe tomorrow?
I’ve just chipped in,and sent the link to my partner who’s a scientist, and she’s chipping in too, what a disgrace this university is. They underestimate the power of chipping by concerned people.
As I said before, you have my support. This is a battle against a form of totalitarianism. What distinguishes totalitarianism above all is the ruthless stifling of dissent in any form. Science cannot survive without debate. In fact, debate is the essence of science as well as of democracy. Godspeed, Dr. Ridd.
Everyone should contact their local member of parliament and tell them enough is enough,dont waste our money
donated
I thought maybe this would run at the top of the page for a few days. Guess not.
Freedom!!! As per a comment above – please put this page back at the top! I’m not here every day, but believe fervently in assisting the fight against left-wing climate totalitarianism and indoctrination – and I might have missed this appeal.
I seem to be parting with my money with increasing frequency for anti-totalitarian causes, but this is one of the most important appeals I’ve seen recently. While most venues, and particularly universities, have been weaponized by the left, at least some courtrooms are still guided by due process and fundamental guiding principles of western societies, and the battles for intellectual and political freedom must be fought here.
I donated again and will continue to do so as long as this ecofascist pogrom against Peter Ridd continues.
The biggest irony is that coral bleaching episodes are associated with ocean cooling and sea level fall. The corals get exposed at low tide. But the alarmist rhetoric falsely attributes bleaching to the opposite, warming and sea level rise.
Mystery solved, I wanted to see if my Go Fund Me donation went through, and yes, but it was only about 68% of what I thought I had donated. Well the AU dollar is only 68% of the US dollar. So I wasn’t as generous as I thought I was.
Donated. Will try to find some more next pay day for this most worth of causes.
Donated.