Disgraced ’climate geoscientist’ still teaching university students
University of Western Australia academic Mick O’Leary continues to teach courses despite being excoriated by a Federal Court judge who questioned his scientific independence and credibility.
A University of Western Australia academic continues to teach courses despite being excoriated by a Federal Court judge who questioned his scientific independence and credibility.
The university told The Australian it “supports (Mick) O’Leary’s right to share his research and teaching expertise and does not intend to take any further action on this matter”.
Michael “Mick” O’Leary, an associate professor UWA and a “climate geoscientist”, provided expert evidence in a dispute between Santos and a Tiwi Islands traditional owner Simon Munkara about the environmental and cultural impact of the gas giant’s $5.3bn Barossa LNG project.
Dr O’Leary appeared in that case as an expert witness for the Environmental Defenders Office. The judgment said Dr O’Leary had admitted to being untruthful to Tiwi Islanders in a “cultural mapping” exercise in such a way as “to coach the attendees about what they might say … so as to achieve their objective of stopping the pipeline”.
Justice Natalie Charlesworth did not mince her words, writing in her judgment that Dr O’Leary’s “conduct (was) far flung from the proper scientific method, and falls short of an expert’s obligation to this court”.
“My concerns about Dr O’Leary’s independence and credibility are such that I would not accept his evidence as sufficient to establish any scientific proposition at all, even if his evidence had gone unchallenged and even if he possessed the appropriate skills, qualification and experience to express them,” she said.
“My conclusions about Dr O’Leary’s lack of regard for the truth, lack of independence and lack of scientific rigour are sufficient to discount or dismiss all of his reports for all purposes.”
UWA told The Australian that it has “completed its internal review processes and an independent, external peer review of Dr O’Leary’s research and conduct.”
“The university supports Dr O’Leary’s right to share his research and teaching expertise and does not intend to take any further action on this matter,” its statement continued.
Dr O’Leary is listed as a course co-ordinator for one undergraduate “climate geoarchaeology” course, currently in its third week, and is listed as teaching staff for four other courses, including “field techniques in marine science”, currently underway.
A fellow UWA academic, not authorised to speak on the record, said they were “surprised … he gets to carry on with his life as if nothing’s happened”.
“He’s not been honest, and if he’s not been honest to traditional owners, and he’s not been honest to industry, then how can we be sure that he’s honest to the students he’s teaching?” the academic said.
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