Documents obtained via Freedom of Information confirm the former Adelaide Festival Board removed Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from its 2026 Writers’ Week lineup because it feared government intervention, despite pleas from a festival leader, InDaily can reveal.

Despite correspondence from Adelaide Festival Director Julian Hobba, who received confirmation that the Premier would not reduce the festival’s base funding, the board still removed Abdel-Fattah from its Adelaide Writers’ Week lineup.

The board received a three-page letter from SA Premier Peter Malinausakas on January 2, in which he made his views clear that he did not support the programming of Abdel-Fattah.

In Adelaide Festival meeting minutes from January 5, 2026, the board “agreed that government involvement materially changes the risk profile and that failure to act could jeopardise current and future funding, and the Festival’s broader viability”.

The minutes, “noted heightened community sensitivity following recent national events and correspondence received from government, including a letter from the Premier”.

“The primary risks discussed were reputational, operational, financial, and related to public safety, inclusion, media escalation, and ongoing government funding and support,” the documents reveal.

Abdel-Fattah’s inclusion “was a concern from the outset”, the minutes read, but the board agreed to proceed with her participation up until December 20.

The board noted at the December 20 meeting that there had been no media attention around Abdel-Fattah being listed on the Writers’ Week program and that cancelling “would risk placing [Abdel-Fattah] in the same category as individuals associated with hate-speech or hate-crime activity, which she is not”.

At that same meeting, “legal considerations were discussed, including caution against retrospectively applying standards or implying charges where none exist”.

“It was noted that Dr Abdel-Fattah had publicly condemned the Bondi attacks, and that there are no charges against her,” the board minutes read.

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Details about the legal advice sought around the board decision were redacted in the documents obtained by InDaily under Freedom of Information.

The board also discussed alternative participation formats, such as having her appear online instead of in-person, but on December 20, there was “reluctance” to cancel her appearance without further advice from SAPOL or clarification of Abdel-Fattah’s current views.

“It was noted that the author has appeared at multiple events without incident and that past dialogue between AWW writers and audiences has been civil,” the minutes said.

The minutes also confirmed Abdel-Fattah’s 2026 Writers’ Week appearance would have been an “only” one-hour-long panel with other authors.

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“She is not a writer in residence, and she has not been offered a keynote address,” the minutes read, clarifying her involvement in the festival.

The Premier’s office was contacted for comment.

A government spokesperson said, “FOI documents show the Government made it abundantly clear in writing and verbally that the line-up was exclusively a matter for the Festival Board and that the decision would not impact government funding”.

“Indeed, the Government has previously disagreed with the inclusion of speakers at Writers Week in 2023, only to then increase funding to the Festival,” he said.

“The State Government has provided a record $4.8 million in additional funding to the Adelaide Festival, to secure major international events like Little Amal in 2024, the opera ‘Innocence’ in 2025, Pulp for tonight’s opening event and today’s announcement of Bluebeard’s Castle as the opera centrepiece for 2027.”

Fears of de-funding quashed

After the board decided to remove Abdel-Fattah, but before it had made that decision public, Festival Executive Director Julian Hobba requested the board change its mind, additional correspondence reveals.

Correspondence released publicly today under Freedom of Information laws shows Hobba wrote to the board saying he had confirmation the Premier would not reduce festival funding and asked them to reconsider.

The email was addressed to former Adelaide Festival board chair Tracey Whiting and board members and dated January 7.

“As I understood the discussion, the board’s decision-making relied heavily on the assumption that, in the absence of board action, the government would otherwise act to direct a cancellation,” Hobba said in his email.

“It was also acknowledged that, absent that assumption, there was at least concern that the legal and safety advice provided may not, on its own, have been sufficient to justify the risks associated with cancellation.

“Over the course of yesterday, I spoke with the chief executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the Premier’s advisor, and the Premier himself. I received written assurance that, consistent with the Premier’s letter, he regards this matter as entirely a decision for the board.

“This position was reiterated verbally by the Premier, including confirmation that he is not contemplating overriding the board’s decision-making, nor considering punitive action such as a reduction in base funding (we did not discuss future discretionary grants).

“In my view, this clarification represents a material change to the factual basis on which the board reached its decision. I therefore respectfully request that the board reconsider its decision in light of this updated information.”

Hobba, along with Adelaide Writers’ Week director Louise Adler and Adelaide Festival Director Matthew Lutton had consistently advised the board not to rescind Abdel-Fattah’s invitation.

In the December 20 board meeting, Hobba briefed the board and highlighted that Abdel-Fattah has a “long and distinguished” career in academia, has been published by various reputable publishing houses, and has and continues to appear at Writers’ festivals around the country.

Board members wanted to backflip

After the decision to remove Abdel-Fattah was first revealed by InDaily on January 8 and followed by national and international media, board members attended a crisis meeting over the weekend of January 10.

The board decided not to change course and stand by its decision to revoke Abdel-Fattah’s invitation, but recorded “there were dissenting votes in relation to this resolution”.

Board member Donny Walford requested that the dissent be recorded in the meeting minutes.

The minutes did not specify which way individual board members voted on any resolutions.

Between 5 pm Saturday, January 10 and 8:30 pm Sunday, January 11, four board members – Donny Walford, Daniela Ritorto, Nicholas Linke OAM and former Chair Tracey Whiting – resigned.

Board members had consistently declined past requests to comment.

The Sunday meeting noted an “urgent need” for “alignment between board and management messaging”.

Department of Premier and Cabinet staff were brought in to assist the board with the fallout, though meeting minutes specify they were “not decision-makers” – it is understood government staff assisted with administrative support and staff wellbeing.

As the board was undertaking crisis meetings throughout January, writers were withdrawing from the festival in droves.

In a meeting on January 12, then-Director Louise Adler, told the board that out of 165 sessions on the Writers’ Week program they had only 12 with a full participation list.

Adler advised that Writers’ Week 2026 should be cancelled, “accompanied by a mea culpa from the board and a full, public apology to Abdel-Fatah to allow for re-building and a return in 2027”.

*Editor’s note: The former chair of the Adelaide Festival Tracey Whiting AM is also a director of Solstice Media, publisher of InDaily.