Mahoneys

The body corporates for beachfront blocks on the Gold Coast have failed in their bid to knock back two land valuations by a combined $28 million, with a Land Court member finding oceanfront land fetches a higher premium.

The High Court has thrown out sacked climate skeptic professor Peter Ridd's appeal of his dismissal by James Cook University, finding protection of intellectual freedom is not a “general freedom of speech”.

Sacked climate skeptic professor Peter Ridd brought his case challenging his dismissal by James Cook University to the High Court on Wednesday, with a lawyer for Ridd telling the justices that his sacking was unlawful because intellectual freedom was a "foundational' principle that could not be subordinated to the university's code of conduct.

The High Court has granted special leave to sacked climate skeptic professor Peter Ridd to challenge James Cook University's successful appeal of a $1.2 million judgment in his favour over his termination, wading into a debate over the power of universities to constrain professors' rights to free speech.

The National Tertiary Education Union has asked a court for permission to intervene in support of sacked physics professor and climate skeptic Peter Ridd as he fights James Cook University's appeal of a $1.2 million judgment against it.

James Cook University has followed through on its promise to appeal a $1.2 million judgment awarded against it for the unfair dismissal of physics professor and climate skeptic Peter Ridd.

A court has ordered James Cook University to pay over $1.2 million to a controversial climate change professor who was sacked in a manner the judge found "reprehensibly unfair" and an "egregious abuse of power".