Why is Tim Flannery forgiven, but an Abbott bureaucrat not? The Age and Sydney Morning Herald gloat: The most powerful woman in the federal bureaucracy, Finance Department secretary Jane Halton, has been asked to stop using the title "Professor." However, her department has indicated that the widespread use of the honorific over several years was the result of error or deferential public servants, rather than Ms Halton's preference... The Guardian reported that the two universities at which Ms Halton holds the honorary position of adjunct professor â the universities of Sydney and Canberra â warned her it was inappropriate to call herself "Professor." Both institutions have policies specifying that adjunct professors should not shorten their title, so as to avoid confusion with actual academic professors. Let's now look at another person calling himself professor: Tim Flannery is currently Adjunct Professor in the Division of Environmental and Life Sciences at Macquarie University - a position he has held since 2007. Strangely enough, Sydney University has no objection at all to hailing Flannery, the warmist guru, as "Professor": Internationally acclaimed environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery returns to the Sydney Ideas stage with solutions to one of the most pressing issues of our time â climate change... Professor Flannery is an international leader in climate change .... The University of Canberra likewise makes an exception for Flannery: Environmental scientist Professor Tim Flannery will discuss the need for long-term, consistent policies on both climate change and biodiversity conservation... Professor Flannery predicts that without change, by the end of the 21st century "around 20 per cent of all species alive today could be extinct... Professor Flannery is an internationally renowned environmentalist... Even Macquarie University itself is happy to advertise their adjunct professor as "Professor": 26th July â Professor Tim Flannery â "What the Australian community thinks about Climate Change" The Guardian didn't care three days ago about the use of the title "Professor" - not when it was adopted by their warmist hero: Prof Tim Flannery of the Climate Council, who authored the report, said there was "no excuse" for states to not follow the example of South Australia. The Age three days ago didn't care about this warmist calling himself "Professor": The Climate Council's chief councillor, Professor Tim Flannery, said states had a critical role to play, especially in energy generation and some, such as Victoria and NSW, were not providing the right environment for renewable energy. The Sydney Morning Herald didn't care, either: In the past year investment in Australian renewable energy projects dropped 70 per cent," said report co-author Professor Tim Flannery. So why the different rule for Flannery? Why are universities and the Left wing media only concerned about an Abbott bureaucrat's use of the title "Professor"? Some Flannery defenders claim the difference is that Flannery was once a full professor at Adelaide University (in fact, he was just an affiliate professor), and can therefore keep the title for life. From a paper for the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority: Thanks to reader Alan RM Jones.