Professor Lindenmayer said he was shocked to receive the FOI requests, and described the process as trying to “shoot the messenger”.“I do my work to make my contribution to the country and it’s impossible for journalists to keep up with science these days, so we’re asked to communicate our results, as we should,” Professor Lindenmayer said.
Professor Lindenmayer has more than 30 years’ experience in ecology and has written more than 1000 published items, including more than 600 scientific papers in international journals and 40 books., which describes itself on its website as representing families and communities that rely on a “prosperous timber industry and want to see us stand up to bad government policy and bias [sic] media”. Mr Law said the group has 350 financial members.
In his apology, posted on social media, Mr Law said he accepted his statements could be interpreted as meaning Professor Lindenmayer’s opinion did not deserve to be considered.
The whole story here:
It should also be said that certain lobby groups have been after Lindenmayer for decades. His work with Leadbeaters possum was ground breaking when I was studying ecological sciences in the 90s.
Ummmm….surely journalistic privilege is paramount in this situation. Combine that with “academic freedom” to speak (which the right pursued & prosecuted very rigorously recently, then why would these emails be of any relevance except to pursue reputational damage?