Louise Adler says Adelaide festival turmoil a ‘masterclass in poor governance‘
Caitlin Cassidy
Louise Adler, the former director of Adelaide writers’ week, has told the ABC’s 7.30 program the turmoil surrounding the festival will be looked back on as a “masterclass in poor governance” and an “act of cultural vandalism”.
Adler said it would have been “untenable” for the event to go ahead this month after 180 writers pulled out.
I think this is a landmark, a watershed moment in the history of Adelaide writers’ week … We’ve had a succession of dramas of this sort, where political interference and donors and lobby groups have been able to come in and have an influence and an effect on what is programmed and what is not programmed.
Asked if the board was under pressure to remove Randa Abdel-Fattah from the lineup before the Bondi terror attack, Adler said she “wouldn’t know” if there was pressure exerted from the premier’s office or outside influences but there had been a “long story” of pro-Israel lobbyists arguing against the inclusion of Palestinian writers in festivals she had directed.
Adler said she was “quite confident” Adelaide writers’ week would be resurrected from 2027 and “rise from the ashes”.
From my point of view, there’s a very important lesson in here for the arts community, and those people who feel committed to a practice of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and inclusivity and civil discussion.
Key events
Good morning, and happy Wednesday. Nick Visser here to take the blog reins today. Let’s see what the news holds.
UK may adopt Australia’s social media ban
Australia’s ban on under-16s using a range of social media apps could be copied by the UK after the nation’s prime minister told MPs that he was considering a similar scheme after becoming concerned about the amount of time children and teenagers are spending on their phones.
Keir Starmer has previously opposed banning social media for children, believing such a move would be difficult to police and could push teenagers towards the dark web.
However, with cross-party political support growing for such a ban, the UK prime minister told a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party that he had shifted his position.
“We are looking at Australia, there are different ways you can enforce it,” he told the meeting.
Read our full story here:
Xavier Maher was one of the local people who waited for Jacinta Allan outside the hospital in Alexandra and said those in fire-affected communities just wanted to be heard.
He said having the NBN down was a real blow for morale in a town already cut off from the rest of Victoria due to numerous road closures.
Since the weekend, Maher has held dinner parties to bring people together.
“The best medicine for everyone is humour,” he said. “It’s a tight community and we all look after each other.”
Victoria premier heckled by mob on visit to fire-affected communities
An angry mob greeted the state premier, Jacinta Allan, when she visited fire-hit communities in central Victoria yesterday amid accusations that her government had not been prepared for the catastrophe that has seen hundreds of homes destroyed, Australian Associated Press reports.
Allan was at Alexandra district health offices to celebrate the efforts of staff who opened the centre to vulnerable and scared residents as a blaze bore down on them on Friday.
After the tour Allan briefed the media about disaster funding available to those affected by bushfires raging across the state.
But she avoided questions about the government’s preparedness failures for the 2026 fire season, stating the focus should be on supporting those affected, not spreading misinformation.
Outside, angry locals gathered after hearing of her arrival on a television news bulletin.
They demanded the premier meet them and answer questions about her support for the Country Fire Authority and rumours the town’s NBN had been cut-off on purpose.
Allan left the health service via the back door as locals spread out across the car park hoping to stop her in her tracks.
When they realised she had left, they yelled “shame” at her staffers.
Louise Adler says Adelaide festival turmoil a ‘masterclass in poor governance‘
Caitlin Cassidy
Louise Adler, the former director of Adelaide writers’ week, has told the ABC’s 7.30 program the turmoil surrounding the festival will be looked back on as a “masterclass in poor governance” and an “act of cultural vandalism”.
Adler said it would have been “untenable” for the event to go ahead this month after 180 writers pulled out.
I think this is a landmark, a watershed moment in the history of Adelaide writers’ week … We’ve had a succession of dramas of this sort, where political interference and donors and lobby groups have been able to come in and have an influence and an effect on what is programmed and what is not programmed.
Asked if the board was under pressure to remove Randa Abdel-Fattah from the lineup before the Bondi terror attack, Adler said she “wouldn’t know” if there was pressure exerted from the premier’s office or outside influences but there had been a “long story” of pro-Israel lobbyists arguing against the inclusion of Palestinian writers in festivals she had directed.
Adler said she was “quite confident” Adelaide writers’ week would be resurrected from 2027 and “rise from the ashes”.
From my point of view, there’s a very important lesson in here for the arts community, and those people who feel committed to a practice of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and inclusivity and civil discussion.
Welcome
Martin Farrer
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer, bringing you the top local stories this morning before I hand over to Nick Visser.
The former director of Adelaide writers’ week Louise Adler has told the ABC’s 7.30 program the turmoil surrounding the festival will be looked back on as a “masterclass in poor governance” and an “act of cultural vandalism”. We’ll have more on her comments in a moment.
Craig Silvey’s publisher Allen & Unwin is putting promotional work for the author on hold while he faces charges of possessing and distributing child exploitation material. More coming up.
And an angry mob greeted the state premier, Jacinta Allan, when she visited fire-hit communities in central Victoria yesterday, amid accusations that her government had not been prepared for the catastrophe that has seen hundreds of homes destroyed.
Let’s get started.
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