Sacked Queensland professor back in court

A Queensland university professor unlawfully sacked for criticising colleagues for their research on the impact of global warming on the Great Barrier Reef is back in court.

The hearing in the Brisbane Federal Circuit Court on Thursday will determine what penalties James Cook University should pay for dismissing Professor Peter Ridd in 2018.

The university found the geophysicist violated its code of conduct during an August 2017 interview on Sky News and elsewhere breached confidentiality directions.

In all, 17 allegations of misconduct were made against him before he was sacked.

Prof Ridd asked the court to determine whether or not the university's findings against him were lawful.

The university argued the actions it took were justified but the Federal Circuit Court found them, including the dismissal, unlawful.

James Cook University said in April it had no issue with Prof Ridd's rights to academic freedom and that he was not sacked because of his scientific views.

Instead, it says, he was disciplined for repeated breaches of directions and refused to remove confidential information he made public.

Prof Ridd failed to secure interim reinstatement last year.