South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas has been formally served with a legal notice of concern for defamation by lawyers representing Palestinian-Australian author and academic Randa Abdel-Fattah.
Legal Action Follows Festival Turmoil
The notice, delivered on Wednesday, marks a significant escalation in the ongoing controversy surrounding the Adelaide Writers' Week (AWW). The dispute originated when Abdel-Fattah was removed from the lineup for the planned 2026 event, a decision that triggered an unprecedented chain reaction.
The fallout led to the mass withdrawal of scheduled guests, the resignation of most of the Adelaide Festival board, and the departure of AWW director Louise Adler. Ultimately, the entire 2026 festival was cancelled, with the board apologising to Abdel-Fattah for how the decision was communicated.
Author Accuses Premier of Harmful Statements
In a statement posted on Instagram, Randa Abdel-Fattah stated she had instructed her legal team to act after what she described as harmful public comments made by the premier. She emphasised that the two have never met and that Malinauskas had not attempted to contact her directly.
Abdel-Fattah specifically pointed to remarks made by the premier during a press briefing on Tuesday. When defending his support for her removal from the festival, Malinauskas employed a hypothetical analogy referencing the Bondi Junction attack.
"Can you imagine if a far-right Zionist walked into a Sydney mosque and murdered 15 people?" the premier asked reporters. "Can you imagine that as the premier of this state, I would actively support a far-right Zionist going to writers' week and speaking hateful rhetoric towards Islamic people? Of course I wouldn't, but the reverse has happened in this instance."
Abdel-Fattah interpreted this analogy as linking her to extremism, accusing Malinauskas of suggesting she was "an extremist terrorist sympathiser." She declared she refused to be used as a political punching bag.
Legal Representation and Board Resignations
Abdel-Fattah has engaged Michael Bradley from Marque Lawyers to represent her. Bradley is concurrently acting for pianist Jayson Gillham in a separate discrimination case against the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
The legal action follows a weekend of dramatic resignations from the Adelaide Festival board. Four members, including chair Tracey Whiting, stepped down during an extraordinary meeting. Prior to these resignations becoming public, Bradley had sent a letter of demand to Whiting, requesting all statements by Abdel-Fattah that informed the board's original decision to exclude her.
The Guardian has contacted the premier's office for comment regarding the newly served concerns notice. The situation underscores the deep and ongoing repercussions of the festival's cancellation, moving the dispute from the cultural sphere firmly into the legal arena.
