{"id":12026,"date":"2026-01-13T20:16:34","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=12026"},"modified":"2026-01-13T20:16:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:16:34","slug":"australia-news-live-adelaide-writers-week-fiasco-was-masterclass-in-poor-governance-outgoing-director-louise-adler-says-australia-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=12026","title":{"rendered":"Australia news live: Adelaide writers\u2019 week fiasco was \u2018masterclass in poor governance\u2019, outgoing director Louise Adler says | Australia news"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Louise Adler says Adelaide festival turmoil a \u2018masterclass in poor governance\u2018<\/h2>\n
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\"Caitlin<\/div>\n

Caitlin Cassidy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n

Louise Adler<\/strong>, the former director of Adelaide writers\u2019 week, has told the ABC\u2019s 7.30 program the turmoil surrounding the festival<\/a> will be looked back on as a \u201cmasterclass in poor governance\u201d and an \u201cact of cultural vandalism\u201d.<\/p>\n

Adler said it would have been \u201cuntenable\u201d for the event to go ahead this month after 180 writers pulled out.<\/p>\n

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<\/svg>I think this is a landmark, a watershed moment in the history of Adelaide writers\u2019 week \u2026 We\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Asked if the board was under pressure to remove Randa Abdel-Fattah<\/strong> from the lineup before the Bondi terror attack, Adler said she \u201cwouldn\u2019t know\u201d if there was pressure exerted from the premier\u2019s office or outside influences but there had been a \u201clong story\u201d of pro-Israel lobbyists arguing against the inclusion of Palestinian writers in festivals she had directed.<\/p>\n

Adler said she was \u201cquite confident\u201d Adelaide writers\u2019 week would be resurrected from 2027 and \u201crise from the ashes\u201d.<\/p>\n

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<\/svg>From my point of view, there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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