13 January 2026
The State Government must immediately move to appoint artists to the Adelaide Festival Board to restore the integrity of the Festival and commission an independent review into the saga say the SA Greens.
“The Adelaide Festival is in complete crisis. The State Government must immediately move to appoint artists to the Board and the decision to disinvite Dr. Abdel-Fattah should be reversed. These steps are essential if the Festival has any hope of restoring its reputation.”
“More broadly, this fiasco raises serious questions about the independence of the arts sector in South Australia. Louise Adler has raised these matters in her resignation as director of Writers’ Week this morning. The Government must now commission an independent review overseen by a person with expertise in the arts to investigate the political interference by the Premier and make recommendations to ensure that the Adelaide Festival is free from such interference in the future.”
“This investigation should happen in consultation with representatives of the arts community.”
“It’s baffling that the Adelaide Festival Act currently has no requirement to have actual artists on the Board. This is a massive defect. If the Government refuses to commission a review and take the necessary steps, the Greens will move to amend the law when Parliament resumes in May.”
“Adelaide Festival should be a space for competing ideas that challenge our thinking. Artists and artistic freedom must be front and centre of its agenda. The events of the last few days have been very distressing for everybody who cares about our state’s reputation as a leader in the arts. The Premier must explain why he has put this reputation at risk through his heavy-handed approach.”