Australia what have you become? We might expect LNP and other right-wing parties to align themselves with powerful Israeli/Zionist interests — but when Labor leaders like @AlboMP and @PMalinauskasMP do the same, it becomes deeply troubling. It undermines our national sovereignty, weakens independent decision-making, and erodes public trust in who our leaders truly serve.
A list of some writers and major figures who have publicly decided not to participate in the 2026 Adelaide Writers Festival / Writers’ Week following the controversy over the disinvitation of Palestinian-Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. Because the situation has been evolving rapidly and more than 180 participants withdrew, this list reflects the most widely reported names so far — not every single withdrawal.
Authors and Public Figures Who Withdrew
Jacinda Ardern – former Prime Minister of New Zealand pulled out in protest.
Zadie Smith – internationally acclaimed British novelist.
Percival Everett – Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Helen Garner – highly respected Australian writer.
Michelle de Kretser – celebrated Australian novelist.
Trent Dalton – bestselling Australian author.
Evelyn Araluen – poet and Stella Prize winner.
Peter Greste – Walkley Award–winning journalist and author.
Chloe Hooper – journalist and author.
Sarah Krasnostein – author and journalist.
Drusilla Modjeska – author and cultural commentator.
Melissa Lucashenko – novelist and Miles Franklin Award–winner.
Other Cultural Figures / Some Commentators Who Withdrew
Jane Caro – writer and social commentator.
Peter FitzSimons – author and columnist.
Hannah Ferguson – co-founder of Cheek Media.
Peter Greste – withdrew in protest.
Amy Remeikis – political columnist and author.
Yanıs Varoufakis – economist and writer.
Chelsea Watego – First Nations academic and author.
Bri Lee and Madeleine Gray – (noted as conditional withdrawers).
Amy McQuire, Clare Wright, Bernadette Brennan
Louise Adler is a prominent Australian literary figure and publisher. Born in Melbourne to Jewish parents who emigrated from Paris after World War II, she built a distinguished career in publishing and the arts. Adler served as CEO of Melbourne University Publishing for many years and later became Publisher-at-Large at Hachette Australia. She has also been editor of the Australian Book Review, arts editor for The Age, a presenter on ABC Radio National, and President of the Australian Publishers Association.
In 2022 she was appointed Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week, one of Australia’s leading literary festival programs, a role she held from 2023 until her resignation in January 2026 in protest against a decision by the Adelaide Festival board that she saw as undermining free speech.
Adler is known for her deep commitment to literature, public discourse, and the principle of open dialogue, and is the daughter of Holocaust survivors, a heritage that has informed her engagement with cultural and political issues.
A list of some writers and major figures who have publicly decided not to participate in the 2026 Adelaide Writers Festival / Writers’ Week following the controversy over the disinvitation of Palestinian-Australian author Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. Because the situation has been evolving rapidly and more than 180 participants withdrew, this list reflects the most widely reported names so far — not every single withdrawal.
Authors and Public Figures Who Withdrew
Jacinda Ardern – former Prime Minister of New Zealand pulled out in protest.
Zadie Smith – internationally acclaimed British novelist.
Percival Everett – Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
Helen Garner – highly respected Australian writer.
Michelle de Kretser – celebrated Australian novelist.
Trent Dalton – bestselling Australian author.
Evelyn Araluen – poet and Stella Prize winner.
Peter Greste – Walkley Award–winning journalist and author.
Chloe Hooper – journalist and author.
Sarah Krasnostein – author and journalist.
Drusilla Modjeska – author and cultural commentator.
Melissa Lucashenko – novelist and Miles Franklin Award–winner.
Other Cultural Figures / Some Commentators Who Withdrew
Jane Caro – writer and social commentator.
Peter FitzSimons – author and columnist.
Hannah Ferguson – co-founder of Cheek Media.
Peter Greste – withdrew in protest.
Amy Remeikis – political columnist and author.
Yanıs Varoufakis – economist and writer.
Chelsea Watego – First Nations academic and author.
Bri Lee and Madeleine Gray – (noted as conditional withdrawers).
Amy McQuire, Clare Wright, Bernadette Brennan
Louise Adler is a prominent Australian literary figure and publisher. Born in Melbourne to Jewish parents who emigrated from Paris after World War II, she built a distinguished career in publishing and the arts. Adler served as CEO of Melbourne University Publishing for many years and later became Publisher-at-Large at Hachette Australia. She has also been editor of the Australian Book Review, arts editor for The Age, a presenter on ABC Radio National, and President of the Australian Publishers Association.
In 2022 she was appointed Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week, one of Australia’s leading literary festival programs, a role she held from 2023 until her resignation in January 2026 in protest against a decision by the Adelaide Festival board that she saw as undermining free speech.
Adler is known for her deep commitment to literature, public discourse, and the principle of open dialogue, and is the daughter of Holocaust survivors, a heritage that has informed her engagement with cultural and political issues.
