Jacinda Ardern pulls out of Adelaide writers’ week as fallout over Randa Abdel-Fattah’s axing continues

Ructions within festival board over Palestinian-Australian academic's inclusion began in October, email reveals

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Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has become the latest international headline act to pull out of the 2026 Adelaide writers' week in protest over the Adelaide festival board's decision to rescind its invitation to Palestinian-Australian academic Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Ardern had been scheduled to discuss her memoir A Different Kind of Power with the ABC's host of 7.30, Sarah Ferguson, on 3 March.