politics
Emails Reveal Internal Discussions on Randa Abdel-Fattah's Removal from Adelaide Writers' Week
Emails obtained through a Freedom of Information request detail communications between the Adelaide Festival and the South Australian Premier's Department regarding the decision to rescind author Randa Abdel-Fattah's invitation to Writers' Week 2026. The documents highlight warnings of potential boycotts and subsequent staff safety concerns following the announcement.
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Emails released under a Freedom of Information request to the ABC provide insight into the deliberations leading to the rescission of Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah's invitation to the Adelaide Writers' Week 2026 program. The correspondence, involving Adelaide Festival executive director Julian Hobba, festival chief financial officer Karishma Reynolds, and officials from the South Australian Premier's Department, occurred in late December 2024 and early January 2025.
Abdel-Fattah had been selected for the event but faced scrutiny due to her prior public statements on Israel and Zionism.
On December 22, 2024, one week after an attack in Bondi, Hobba emailed the department's CEO, another executive, and then-festival chairperson Tracey Whiting. In the email, Hobba assessed potential fallout from canceling Abdel-Fattah's participation, estimating that 80 to 90 of the approximately 170 authors might withdraw.
He referenced a similar boycott at the Bendigo Writers Festival in the previous year, where more than 50 writers pulled out, and noted that key presenters, hosts, prominent Jewish attendees, and First Nations artists across the broader Adelaide Festival program could be affected.
email stated that such withdrawals would significantly impact the program.
He emphasized awareness of public concerns over anti-Semitism following the Bondi incident but highlighted risks of broader artist withdrawals. The email included redactions before its release to the ABC. On January 2, 2025, South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas wrote to Whiting, expressing surprise at Abdel-Fattah's inclusion and concern that the festival board was not prepared to remove her after the Bondi attack.
" Days later, the Adelaide Festival board announced the rescission of her invitation.
