"The Adelaide festival is facing an unprecedented leadership crisis after three board members resigned this weekend. The journalist Daniela Ritorto, the Adelaide businesswoman Donny Walford and the lawyer Nick Linke have stepped down since the board's controversial decision to dump the Palestinian Australian author Randa Abdel-Fattah from the 2026 writers' week program. The sudden departures follow the withdrawal of more than 70 participants of next month's festival events."
"It remains unclear how the board will be able to reach a quorum, potentially paralysing its legal authority to make decisions for the 2026 event. Under the Adelaide Festival Corporation Act 1998, the board must adhere to strict gender composition rules. With Linke's departure, only one man, Adelaide airport's managing director, Brenton Cox, remains. The act requires a minimum of two men and two women on the board."
"In that statement the board said it had been shocked and saddened by the tragic events at Bondi and the significant heightening of both community tensions and the community debate. As the Board responsible for the Adelaide Festival organisation and all Adelaide Writers' Week events, staff, volunteers and participants, we have today advised scheduled writer Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah that the Board has formed the judgment that we do not wish to proceed with her scheduled appearance at next month's Writers' Week, it said."
Three board members resigned after the board cancelled Randa Abdel-Fattah's scheduled appearance at Writers' Week, following the withdrawal of more than 70 participants. The resignations have created an unprecedented leadership crisis and raised doubt about the board's ability to reach a quorum and legally make decisions for the 2026 festival. The Adelaide Festival Corporation Act 1998 requires a minimum of two men and two women on the board; with Linke's departure only one man, Brenton Cox, now remains. The board cited tragic events at Bondi and heightened community tensions as justification for the cancellation.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]