Thanks to Michael Yeats for the heads-up. This certainly points up the
tensions between old and new mobility. Paul Mees is a respected member of
our International Advisory Council and a valued contributor to the Journal
of World Transport Policy & Practice. You can find a listing for him in
Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Mees . His work contrasts
starkly with the approach of Randall O'Toole at which we have looked today
as well. Eric Britton
PS. Why not invite Paul to come to your university or city to tell a few
hard and useful truths about old mobility and its costs to society and the
planet? Invite the press. ([log in to unmask])
Melbourne Uni demotes transport dissident
MELBOURNE University has demoted one of its most outspoken academics after a
complaint against him by the State Government.
Paul Mees, a senior lecturer in transport planning and a prominent public
transport advocate, was told his pay would be slashed and his position
downgraded after he made a strongly worded attack on the Government over
transport privatisation.
In the attack, made at a public forum last year, Dr Mees said the authors of
a 2007 report on privatisation were "liars and frauds and should be in
jail".
The university acted after a complaint from the head of the former state
Department of Infrastructure, Howard Ronaldson, threatening legal action
over Dr Mees' remarks and demanding that they be removed from a university
website.
Documents obtained by The Age show that one of the university's reasons for
acting against Dr Mees was a concern about its relations with the
Government.
In a letter to the Government on October 23, Professor Nick Low of the
university's transport research centre wrote that Dr Mees' remarks were
"directly contrary to our wish to conduct our relations with the State
Government in a spirit of partnership and collaboration".
Dr Mees, a former president of the Public Transport Users Association, made
his remarks on August 23 at a university forum on the privatisation of
Melbourne's public transport.
He told the forum that figures in a report by then director of public
transport, Jim Betts, on the results of privatisation were deliberately
misleading.
He accused Mr Betts - who has since been promoted to secretary of the
Department of Transport - of covering up the failure of privatisation to
advance his position in the Government.
"These people whose job it is to regulate these private operators on behalf
of the public interest, they are telling lies," Dr Mees said.
About two months later, Mr Ronaldson complained in writing to Melbourne
University vice-chancellor Glyn Davis and to Professor Low.
Mr Ronaldson demanded Dr Mees' speech be removed from the university's
website.
"I would hope that a satisfactory resolution of this matter can be achieved
quickly, and if possible without the need to involve lawyers," Mr Ronaldson
wrote. A podcast of the speech was immediately removed.
Without telling Dr Mees, the university also launched an investigation into
whether he had damaged the university's reputation. The inquiry, conducted
by Michael King of Monash University's law faculty, found Dr Mees had
"brought the university into disrepute by making derogatory and insulting
comments" about government officers.
Dr King found it did not matter whether Dr Mees' statements were true or
not. "His defence of truth should be dismissed," says Dr King's report.
"Academics are entitled to be forthright in their views. But it is not their
role to make allegations of personal misconduct or criminal misconduct in a
public forum," Dr King wrote.
He rejected Dr Mees' defence that the comments were not "insulting or
derogatory", that he spoke the truth, and that it was part of his duty as an
academic to "expose corruption".
In the report, Professor Low is quoted saying the Government "had had enough
of Dr Mees' over-the-top remarks and (wanted him) reined in".
Professor Low has been in negotiations with the State Government over
funding a research project into greenhouse gas emissions from transport. Mr
Betts has agreed to be a partner in the application for funding.
Dr Mees has since quit the university, and will give his final lecture next
week. He has accepted a role with RMIT's planning department.
Dr Mees says he is appealing against the university's finding on him, which
led to him being told his annual pay would be cut from $96,000 to $88,000.
He also says he is planning to sue the university over the way it conducted
the investigation, and "for charging me with misconduct over being a
whistleblower".
In a statement emailed to The Age, Melbourne University provost Peter McPhee
said the university supported the rights of its staff to comment publicly on
issues within their academic expertise.
"The university strongly supports and encourages the principles of academic
freedom," Professor McPhee said.
He said Dr Mees had been the subject of a number of previous complaints,
including from a student and colleagues, before the latest incident.
The previous complaints, which dated from as early as 2005, did not lead to
action being taken against Dr Mees at the time.
Liberty Victoria president Julian Burnside said it was not clear if this was
a case of academic freedom under attack.
"To say that his defence of truth should be dismissed could mean that there
was no truth to what he said," Mr Burnside said. "Certainly his comments are
intemperate.
"But the question that needs to be answered is whether any part of the
university's thinking in this matter was that they have a working
relationship with the department?"
Source:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/melbourne-uni-demotes-transport-dissi
dent/2008/05/19/1211182704265.html
Dr King found it did not matter whether Dr Mees' statements were true or
not. "His defence of truth should be dismissed," says Dr King's report.
"Academics are entitled to be forthright in their views. But it is not their
role to make allegations of personal misconduct or criminal misconduct in a
public forum," Dr King wrote.
He rejected Dr Mees' defence that the comments were not "insulting or
derogatory", that he spoke the truth, and that it was part of his duty as an
academic to "expose corruption".
In the report, Professor Low is quoted saying the Government "had had enough
of Dr Mees' over-the-top remarks and (wanted him) reined in".
Professor Low has been in negotiations with the State Government over
funding a research project into greenhouse gas emissions from transport. Mr
Betts has agreed to be a partner in the application for funding.
Dr Mees has since quit the university, and will give his final lecture next
week. He has accepted a role with RMIT's planning department.
Dr Mees says he is appealing against the university's finding on him, which
led to him being told his annual pay would be cut from $96,000 to $88,000.
He also says he is planning to sue the university over the way it conducted
the investigation, and "for charging me with misconduct over being a
whistleblower".
In a statement emailed to The Age, Melbourne University provost Peter McPhee
said the university supported the rights of its staff to comment publicly on
issues within their academic expertise.
"The university strongly supports and encourages the principles of academic
freedom," Professor McPhee said.
He said Dr Mees had been the subject of a number of previous complaints,
including from a student and colleagues, before the latest incident.
The previous complaints, which dated from as early as 2005, did not lead to
action being taken against Dr Mees at the time.
Liberty Victoria president Julian Burnside said it was not clear if this was
a case of academic freedom under attack.
"To say that his defence of truth should be dismissed could mean that there
was no truth to what he said," Mr Burnside said. "Certainly his comments are
intemperate.
"But the question that needs to be answered is whether any part of the
university's thinking in this matter was that they have a working
relationship with the department?"
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