This afternoon, Adelaide Writers Week was cancelled for 2026 – less than a week after Palestinian-Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah was disinvited by the Adelaide Festival board. This came despite the “strongest opposition” from Writers Week director Louise Adler, who resigned this morning. The board has announced its remaining members will step down today, too. (One exception is the Adelaide City Council representative, who will stay on until their term expires on February 2.)
Adler calls the cancellation “no surprise”. She told the Guardian “I am so sorry that this masterclass in poor governance has landed us in this position”.
