Jacinda Ardern withdraws from Adelaide Writers’ Week after Abdel‑Fattah invitation rescinded

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has withdrawn from the 2026 Adelaide Writers’ Week, becoming the latest international participant to pull out in protest after the Adelaide festival board rescinded its invitation to Palestinian-Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Ardern had been scheduled to discuss her memoir A Different Kind of Power with the ABCs 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson on 3 March. She joins a growing list of international writers and commentators who have confirmed their withdrawal, along with more than 70 participants; names announced include Zadie Smith, Percival Everett, Yanis Varoufakis, RoisEDn ODonnell and M Gessen.

The row erupted when the festival board said Abdel-Fattah had been dropped because of concern over "cultural sensitivity" after the Bondi terror attack. Guardian Australia reported that internal objections began months earlier, when Sydney businessman Tony Berg resigned from the board in October in an email seen by the outlet criticising the writers week director Louise Adler for programming writers he described as having an anti-Israel stance.

Abdel-Fattah has accused Berg of a "patronising and dehumanising erasure of my identity" and the Guardian said she has faced sustained criticism from the Coalition, some Jewish bodies and media outlets for comments about Israel. Three festival board members and the chair, Tracey Whiting, have resigned since the decision to cancel Abdel-Fattahs engagements.

Key Topics

Culture, Jacinda Ardern, Randa Abdel-fattah, Adelaide Writers Week, Adelaide Festival Corporation, Louise Adler