The South Australian premier has denied exerting pressure on the Adelaide festival board to disinvite Randa Abdel-Fattah as a speaker at Adelaide writers’ week, while reiterating that he agreed with the decision.
The board dumped the Palestinian Australian academic as a speaker on Thursday, citing “cultural sensitivity” after the Bondi attack.
“By law, I as Premier am prevented from directing the Board,” Peter Malinauskas said. “I support the intent of this legislation, and have made it clear at every juncture that I would not seek to direct the board.
“However, when asked for my opinion I was happy to make it clear that the state government did not support the inclusion of Dr Abdel-Fattah on the Adelaide writers’ week program.”
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On Saturday, 11 prominent cultural figures wrote to Malinauskas and the board demanding the reinstatement of Abdel-Fattah.
The letter was drafted by Rob Brookman, who has held almost every major leadership role at the festival across three decades, including artistic director and executive director.
The 10 cosignatories, including Neil Armfield, Jo Dyer, Jim Sharman and Anthony Steel, have all previously held senior artistic or administrative positions at the festival.
The letter said the cancellation of Abdel-Fattah’s participation was a grave mistake which had brought the festival and writers’ week into disrepute.
“An about-face may be embarrassing but it is both the right thing to do and will cauterise the growing damage to this much loved and internationally significant South Australian cultural institution,” the letter said.
“To revoke [Abdel-Fattah’s] invitation inevitably and appallingly draws a direct link between her presence and the outrage of the Bondi massacre.
“Wickedness thrives in darkness and prejudice thrives in ignorance born of silence. The open discussion of ideas, beliefs, facts and opinion is ultimately the pathway to community cohesion. Silencing and censorship are not.”
The letter also questioned why the board appeared to have abandoned its support for the director of Adelaide writers’ week, Louise Adler, who is scheduled to deliver her fourth festival from 28 February to 4 March.
In 2023 Adler defended the inclusion of several Palestinian speakers, two of whom drew criticism for controversial comments made before the festival.
On the opening night that year Malinauskas said he had been under immense pressure to axe the funding for writers’ week, but decided it would set a dangerous precedent if a government determined who was allowed to speak.
“What path does that take us down?” he said then. “It’s a path to a future where politicians decide what is culturally appropriate … a path, in fact, that leads us into the territory of Putin’s Russia.”
Saturday’s letter said: “The festival board has previously been admirable in its support of the director’s decisions in the face of vocal and well-organised opposition … the board’s reversal of its principled support for the director and her program at this time is, in our view, antithetical to what the festival and writers’ week have and should stand for.”
The festival board and Adler were contacted for comment.
