Clive Spash Resigns from CSIRO: Calls for Senate Inquiry. (December 3,
2009)|
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News & Views item - December 2009 |
Clive Spash Resigns from CSIRO: Calls for Senate Inquiry. (December 3,
2009)
An
Australian Associated Press release late this morning by Crystal Ja reports that
Dr Clive Spash has resigned from CSIRO and called for a Senate inquiry following
the attempts by CSIRO administration to suppress publication of his paper which
is critical of cap and trade schemes such as being advocated by the Australian
government. Instead Dr Spash advocates a direct tax on carbon.
Dr Spash told the AAP that he has been stunned at the treatment he's received at the hands of CSIRO management, including its chief executive, Megan Clark: "I've been treated extremely poorly. There needs to be a Senate inquiry. The way the publication policy and the charter are being interpreted will encourage self-censorship. It's obviously happened before at the CSIRO - and there's issues currently."
Dr Spash who had been on sick leave said, "I've been to the doctor under extreme stress." He is now heading to Europe where he told AAP he plans to stay indefinitely and while reluctant to openly criticise the government he noted that Science Minister Kim Carr had been kept informed.
The AAP also reports that the Journal New Political Economy which had had Dr Spash's paper peer reviewed and then accepted it for publication had written to Senator Carr, detailing the changes the CSIRO had demanded and informed him they were not prepared publish the censored version.
Dr Spash said: "They [CSIRO] cut the conclusion by half, 11% of the text, changed the thrust of the meaning from being an indexed criticism of an ETS to being an argument that it stands to be redesigned. I was clearly censored."
The question arises as to which is worse the attempted censorship, or the collective stupidity of those perpetrating it?
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Links to media coverage:
http://www.smh.com.au/environment/scientist-quits-csiro-amid-censorship-claims-20091203-k8vb.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/03/2761141.htm
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