The Campaign For A Royal Commission And The Implosion Of A Writers’ Festival

2026-01-15

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In the aftermath of the Bondi massacre, a sustained media and political campaign intensified pressure on the government to establish a royal commission into antisemitism. Within a day of the Albanese government announcing that one would take place, an invitation to Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah to appear at Adelaide Writers’ Week was rescinded, citing concerns around cultural sensitivity. The fallout was swift, more than 180 writers withdrew, the festival collapsed, its director resigned, and t...

In the aftermath of the Bondi massacre, a sustained media and political campaign intensified pressure on the government to establish a royal commission into antisemitism.

Within a day of the Albanese government announcing that one would take place, an invitation to Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah to appear at Adelaide Writers’ Week was rescinded, citing concerns around cultural sensitivity. The fallout was swift, more than 180 writers withdrew, the festival collapsed, its director resigned, and the board stepped down.

This episode of Fourth Estate examines how sustained media pressure can move beyond scrutiny into something more coercive — shaping decisions, narrowing debate, and contributing to institutional implosion.

Joining Tina Quinn to discuss is Amy Remeikis (The Australia Institute), Paul Karp (The Australian Financial Review) and Osman Faruqi (Lamestream Media).

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