Overview
- The board disinvited Palestinian-Australian author Randa Abdel‑Fattah, citing "cultural sensitivity" after the Bondi attack and unspecified "past statements."
- Dozens to roughly 90 invited writers have withdrawn, and the festival has temporarily unpublished the Writers' Week program while it reworks the lineup.
- Chair Tracey Whiting and board members Donny Walford, Nicholas Linke and Daniela Ritorto have quit, leaving the board’s quorum and required gender balance in question.
- Abdel‑Fattah’s lawyer Michael Bradley of Marque Lawyers has demanded the specific statements relied on and preservation of emails and messages, setting a January 14 deadline and signaling possible litigation.
- Premier Peter Malinauskas says he supported the board’s judgment without directing it, as federal minister Madeleine King backed the removal and at least one sponsor withdrew support.