A Queensland university is appealing a decision to compensate a professor after he was sacked for questioning global warming’s impact on the Great Barrier Reef.

James Cook University has hired one of Australia’s top barristers to argue the university acted legally when sacking Professor Peter Ridd and to overturn the $1.2 million payout ordered by the court.

In his verdict, Judge Vasta found that all 17 findings used by the university to justify the sacking were unlawful.

Liberal senator James Paterson tells Alan Jones the taxpayers’ money should be put to better use.

“It looks like, so far, James Cook University has spent almost $2 million in order to silence the free speech of one of their own academics.

“It’s an outrageous case.”

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