A lot rides on the case of Ridd v JCU, which was heard last Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in the High Court of Australia.

The case is to determine whether an academic can criticise other academics at the same institution for their academic work without breaching the university’s Code of Conduct and being liable to be sacked.

If Ridd loses, then, without remedial action by the government, academics become mere cyphers of their universities, unable to strenuously critique the work of their colleagues.