15 January 2026
The new Adelaide Festival Board would like to reassure the people of South Australia it is thoroughly committed to the successful delivery of Adelaide Festival 2026.
We wish to apologise to Louise Adler AM that the incredible program she had worked hard to curate for 2026 has been cancelled as a result of the events that have unfolded over the last week after the announcement of the decision to rescind the invitation to Dr Abdel-Fattah. We acknowledge the principled stand she took in the extremely difficult decision to resign from her role as Director.
Louise is a revered figure of Australian literature who we hold in the highest regard. Her contributions to, and stewardship of, Adelaide Writers’ Week in the time she has been the Director (2023 – 2025) have been outstanding. We wish also to convey the warm affection of the staff for Louise and their gratitude for her strong convictions.
The Board has decided that the former decision to establish a subcommittee of the Board to review Adelaide Writers’ Week operational decisions is rescinded. We commit to the curatorial independence of the Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week while noting the Board’s overarching responsibility for a well-delivered event of the highest quality.
We understand that many in the community are urging reconsideration of the cancellation of Adelaide Writers’ Week in 2026. While we fervently share that desire, our informed assessment of the situation is that it is simply no longer viable for it to proceed.
We are determined that Adelaide Writers’ Week will rise again and our energies will be directed to that mission. We are thankful for the many messages of support from within the Adelaide Festival community to assist in the coming weeks and months.
We acknowledge and are grateful that the Premier Peter Malinauskas and Minister for Arts Andrea Michaels have taken swift action to appoint a new Board enabling us to rapidly re-set and continue our work in delivering Artistic Director Matt Lutton’s outstanding program. We also appreciate the Premier's consistent position that the curatorial choices of Adelaide Festival, including Adelaide Writers’ Week, are at the discretion of the organisation.
