Adelaide Writers' Week has been cancelled, with the Adelaide Festival Board saying the event can no longer proceed after widespread withdrawals by authors following the removal of Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 program.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the board said it had decided on 8 January to rescind Abdel-Fattah's invitation to Adelaide Writers' Week 2026, but acknowledged that decision had backfired.
"As a board, we took this action out of respect for a community experiencing the pain from a devastating event," the statement said.
"Instead, this decision has created more division and for that we express our sincere apologies."
The board said that — given the number of authors who have withdrawn to protest Abdel-Fattah's removal — the event "can no longer go ahead as scheduled for this year".
"This is a deeply regrettable outcome," the board said.
'Decision wasn't about identity or dissent'
The board apologised to audiences, writers, donors, corporate partners, government and staff, and also apologised to Abdel-Fattah "for how the decision was represented".
It said the decision was "not about identity or dissent but rather a continuing rapid shift in the national discourse around the breadth of freedom of expression in our nation following Australia's worst terror attack in history".
The board said it was committed to rebuilding trust and enabling open discussion at future events.
It also confirmed that all remaining board members would step down immediately, except for the Adelaide City Council representative, whose term expires on 2 February, to allow an orderly transition.
The cancellation follows last week's announcement that Abdel-Fattah's appearance had been dropped.
At the time, the board said it was "not culturally sensitive" to proceed, a decision Abdel-Fattah described as "outrageous", saying she "cannot believe" she had to state she had "nothing to do with the Bondi atrocities".
This is a developing story and this article will be updated.
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