Key Takeaways
- The Adelaide Festival Corporation has apologized to Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah for excluding her from Adelaide Writers’ Week due to her commentary on Israel and Zionism.
- The corporation has retracted its previous statement and invited Abdel-Fattah to speak at the 2027 event.
- The new Adelaide Festival board has reversed the previous decision to exclude Abdel-Fattah and apologized for the harm caused to her.
- Adelaide Writers’ Week was cancelled earlier this week after over 180 authors and participants withdrew from the event.
- The new board is committed to upholding intellectual and artistic freedom and is focused on presenting a successful Adelaide Festival 2026.
Introduction to the Controversy
The Adelaide Festival Corporation, which oversees Adelaide Writers’ Week, has apologized to Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah for excluding her from the event due to her commentary on Israel and Zionism. The corporation’s decision to cancel Abdel-Fattah’s invitation sparked widespread outrage, leading to the withdrawal of over 180 authors and participants from the event. As a result, Adelaide Writers’ Week was cancelled earlier this week. The new Adelaide Festival board, which was installed earlier this week, has since reversed the previous decision to exclude Abdel-Fattah and apologized for the harm caused to her.
Apology and Reversal of Decision
The Adelaide Festival Corporation has apologized to Abdel-Fattah, stating that it had "caused her harm" and that "intellectual and artistic freedom is a powerful human right" that it aims to uphold. The corporation has also retracted its previous statement and invited Abdel-Fattah to speak at the 2027 event. Abdel-Fattah has accepted the apology and stated that she would consider the board’s invitation to participate in the 2027 festival "at the appropriate time." However, she also noted that the statement "acknowledges the harm done, but it is not a quick fix to repair the damage and injury inflicted."
New Board’s Commitment to Intellectual Freedom
The new Adelaide Festival board, led by chair Judy Potter, has committed to upholding intellectual and artistic freedom. Potter stated that the board wishes to apologize to Louise Adler, the former director of Adelaide Writers’ Week, for the cancellation of the event. Adler had resigned from her role earlier this week in protest of the decision to exclude Abdel-Fattah. The board has also rescinded its previous decision to establish a subcommittee to review Adelaide Writers’ Week operational decisions. Potter emphasized that the board is determined to ensure that Writers’ Week "will rise again" and that its energies will be directed towards that mission.
Cancellation of Adelaide Writers’ Week
Despite the new board’s commitment to intellectual freedom, Adelaide Writers’ Week will not proceed in 2026. The board has stated that it is "simply no longer viable" for the event to proceed due to the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of Abdel-Fattah’s invitation. However, the board is focused on presenting a successful Adelaide Festival 2026, and chief executive Julian Hobba has stated that the team is "grateful for the patience of many Festival artists who have been deeply concerned by the events of the last week."
Moving Forward
The new Adelaide Festival board is committed to moving forward and presenting a successful Adelaide Festival 2026. The board has acknowledged the support of Premier Peter Malinauskas and Arts Minister Andrea Michaels, who took swift action to appoint a new board and enable the organization to "rapidly re-set." The board has also appreciated the Premier’s consistent position that the curatorial choices of Adelaide Festival, including Adelaide Writers’ Week, are at the discretion of the organization. As the organization moves forward, it is clear that the new board is committed to upholding intellectual and artistic freedom and presenting a successful festival in 2026.