PROFESSOR ORR CASE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28616, 19 June 1958, Page 13

PROFESSOR ORR CASE

No Reopening By University (Rec. 8 p.m.) HOBART, June 18. The University of Tasmania’s council announced today that it considered a new university inquiry into the Professor Orr case would be “most inappropriate and useless.” Announcing the council’s decision, the Vice-Chancellor of the university (Professor K. S. Isles) said the council felt that a Court was the only proper body to sit in judgment on the case. He said the council, at a meeting held in camera last night, had rejected the request by the Tasmanian Presbytery that the university should reopen the case Professor Orr was professor of philosophy when he was dismissed by the university in 1956 for alleged misconduct with a student, Miss Suzanne Kemp. Professor Orr later claimed £lO,OOO damages from the university for alleged wrongful dismissal, but lost the case and also an appeal to the High Court of Australia. In a television interview in Melbourne on Sunday night. Professor Orr claimed that he had new evidence which would prove he had not seduced Miss Kemp The Presbyterian Church of Tasmania, which recently admitted Professor Orr as a full communicant member, announced last week that it had examined the new evidence, and found the allegations against Professor Orr were “not proven.” Today Professor Isles said the university had no power to subpoena witnesses, and at such an inquiry could not properly test any of the alleged new evidence.

“For these very cogent reasons the university is unable to assess the validity of the Presbytery’s statement that the charges and allegations of seduction made against Professor Orr are ‘not proven,’ ” he said. Professor Isles said the council emphasised that the university had no power to prevent Professor Orr from approaching the Court to have the case reopened. Professor Isles added that the council had considered the pub lished statements of groups of Australian and New Zealand philosophers, but it could see no valid reason why it should not proceed with its intention to fill the chair of philosophy. . Philosophy professors and lecturers at universities throughout Australia and New Zealand have declared the chair “black.” Professor Isles said that in reaching its decision the council found itself in complete agreement with the opinions forwarded to it by the university’s professorial board.