A private letter from South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas, expressing his government's firm opposition to the inclusion of author Randa Abdel-Fattah in a major literary festival, has been made public, revealing deep tensions over programming and free speech.
Premier Cites Public Interest and Social Cohesion
In the three-page letter, dated 2 January and published in full by Adelaide's Sunday Mail, Premier Malinauskas stated that inviting the Palestinian Australian writer to the 2026 Adelaide Writers' Week was not in the public interest. He specifically linked this view to the Bondi terror attack, arguing that her appearance would run contrary to community expectations of unity and healing.
The Premier cited comments attributed to Abdel-Fattah in news media, which he described as going "beyond reasonable public debate." He labelled them as "antisemitic and hateful at worst and deeply offensive and insulting at best." Malinauskas emphasised that his government condemns all forms of racist or antisemitic behaviour.
Festival Board Intervention and Resignation
The controversy stems from an invitation extended to Abdel-Fattah by the festival's then artistic director, Louise Adler. Adler, a respected figure in Australian publishing and a progressive Jewish voice, is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. However, the board of the Adelaide Festival later intervened to overturn the decision.
This intervention prompted Adler's public resignation. In response, the newly constituted Adelaide Festival board issued an unreserved public apology to Abdel-Fattah, which she accepted. The board has also promised her an invitation to the 2027 event.
Legal Threats and Defences of Independence
The release of the Premier's letter follows Abdel-Fattah threatening defamation action against Malinauskas over his public statements. In a social media post, she accused him of using her as a "political punching bag" and of falsely linking her to extremism via the Bondi attack analogy.
While Malinauskas's letter acknowledges the legal independence of the Adelaide Festival and that he cannot issue ministerial directives on programming, it firmly states the government's opposition and reserves the right to make public statements. He expressed surprise at the initial invitation and deep concern that the board was not prepared to rescind it.
The letter also referenced the prior resignation of board member Tony Berg in October over concerns about the program, indicating that tensions predated the Bondi attack.
