The Sunday Times (Perth W.A.)
	19 May 1996


	Rindos affair 
	hits the Net

	By JOE POPRZECZNY


	    The University of 
	WA has ordered its
	Postgraduate Stu-
	dents Association to
	delete access to a 
	Web site page which
	details the events 
	surrounding the dis-
	missal of archaeolo-
	gist Dr David Rindos.

	    The association's
	site, which links to New
	York's University of
	Buffalo, carried an
	account of the Rindos
	case.

	    UWA's in-house law-
	yer, LInda Key, wrote 
	to the PSA last week
	over its Web site link

	    UWA also contacted
	the University of Buf-
	falo claiming that in-
	formation on the site
	defamed Vice-Chancel-
	lor Fay Gale and sev-
	eral academics.

	     But UWA has re-
	fused to give details of
	its move against the 
	Buffalo site.

	     The PSA has obeyed
	the order but is consid-
	ering obtaining legal
	advice on whether 
	UWA has the power to
	tell students what their
	Web site could be 
	linked to. 

	     Last week, UWA
	wrote to the president
	of Whistleblowers Aus-
	tralia, Dr Brian Martin,
	of Wollongong Univer-
	sity, objecting to him
	publicising the Buffalo
	site's address in a let
	ter to a national news-
	paper.

	     Dr Martin, whose
	specialitiy is suppress-
	ion of academic free
	-dom, defended the WA 
	Parlaiment's decision 
	to create a select com-
	mittee to investigate 
	UWA's managment 
	and Professor Gale's
	decision to refuse
	tenure for Dr Rindos.