‘Not a time for silence’: More than 30 authors quit Bendigo Writers Festival

Bendigo Writers Festival has cancelled its opening night gala, hours out from the event, and a number of sessions have also been cancelled as the list of writers withdrawing from the event over free speech concerns continues to grow.

On Wednesday, participants in the La Trobe University stream of the festival received a code of conduct, detailing what they can and can’t say at the event. Since then, others in the line-up have been told the code would be in their festival pack when they arrived.

Some 34 writers have now pulled out in protest, the latest group including Melanie Cheng, Jock Serong and Thomas Mayo. As reported on Thursday, La Trobe history professor Clare Wright, who co-curated the La Trobe series within the BWF, has also resigned, along with Overland editor and Stella Prize winner Evelyn Araluen and academic and author Randa Abdel-Fattah.

Others include Jess Hill, Claire G. Coleman, Sonia Orchard, Daniel James, Fiona Stanley, Kirstin Ferguson, Michelle Scott Tucker, Kylie Mirmohamadi, Kate Larsen, Jaclyn Crupi, Cher Tan, Madison Griffiths, Kelly Gardiner, Sarah Firth, Rachel Ang, Bernard Caleo, Ita Mehrotra, Jonathan Butler, Jeanine Leane and journalist/author Paul Daley.

Announcing on X on Thursday that he would not appear at the festival, Daley said: “This is a shameful episode in Australian literary life.”

Some people have withdrawn in protest at being asked to sign the code of conduct; others in solidarity, despite not being asked to sign themselves. The withdrawals are happening so rapidly the festival seemingly can’t keep up. Events involving participants who have announced their withdrawal via social media are still listed as active on the website.

The code of conduct says participants are expected to engage in “conversations that are inclusive, thoughtful, and welcoming to diverse perspectives. Avoid language or topics that could be considered inflammatory, divisive, or disrespectful”.

“Writers’ festivals are meant to be the places where you can discuss sensitive issues – the other places are universities,” says one author, who preferred not to be named.

Kate Mildenhall, author of The Mother Fault, who has withdrawn, said the code of conduct impeded free and frank discussion. One of the questions she was going to raise at her session was: “How do you see censorship in literature playing out in the world at the moment?”

“This is not a time for silence,” Mildenhall said.

Author Sonia Orchard, who describes Bendigo as “one of Victoria’s best writers’ festivals”, said she withdrew, “mostly in order to show my solidarity with Palestinian writers, who will naturally feel silenced and their trauma dismissed by the code of conduct document issued yesterday.

“But it is also because I have been asked to speak at the festival on a topic about stopping violence against women and children, and it feels impossible to do this while knowing that the university has chosen to align itself with ideas and factions that condone such large-scale violence against women and children.”

Writer Claire G Coleman wrote to festival organisers that “the way you have handled this is disturbing, you are working with writers, authors and artists, many of whom are people of colour and/or Indigenous. I respectfully ask you to do better in future, to consider that to many writers our freedom of speech is more important than any festival.”

The code of conduct required participants to commit to La Trobe University’s Anti-Racism Plan, a 17-page document, which accepts the Universities Australia definition of antisemitism. That definition has not been accepted by all universities and has been the subject of controversy, with some arguing that it unreasonably restricts criticism of Israel. The definition states that criticism of Israel is not itself antisemitic.

“However criticism of Israel can be antisemitic when it is grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel or all Jews or when it holds Jewish individuals or communities responsible for Israel’s actions,” a UA statement earlier this year said.

In July, the Federal Court ruled that anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel are not antisemitic.

In a letter to the festival on behalf of participants, the Human Rights Law Centre spells out potentially affected areas. “[This would] prevent critical discussions at panels and events on matters related to Palestinian liberation and human rights, First Nations land rights, Indigenous sovereignty, migrant diasporas, Donald Trump’s presidency, feminism and a variety of other topics which may be considered ‘divisive’, non-‘sensitive’ to those who hold alternative political views, which may ’cause public concern’ and which may fall afoul of La Trobe’s definition of antisemitism. This is particularly so in an environment of increasing censorship and ‘culture wars’ within the media and political space which often targets marginalised and racialised groups.”

Bookish Bendigo, the local bookshop, has withdrawn from the event, saying: “Writers are our heroes. They are educators, agitators, commentators, illuminators. They hold up a mirror to society and they hold us accountable. They should never be silenced.”

Premier Jacinta Allan, who is also the local member for Bendigo East, did not directly answer questions about whether writers should be censored, but said speakers had a responsibility to be respectful.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s 2025 or any other year. It would be my expectation that people who participate in events like this do so in a respectful way,” she said. “A diversity of views is a good thing, but it needs to be done in a safe and respectful way, and the writers’ festival has been providing that opportunity for a really long time.”

The ABC, a partner of the festival, declined to comment.

A La Trobe University spokesperson said: “La Trobe supports diversity of perspectives and ideas, which is why it has been a long-term supporter of the Bendigo Writers Festival. La Trobe is committed to ensuring all our events, including events for which we are a sponsor, are safe, inclusive and equitable for all members of our community.

“La Trobe University does not tolerate racism of any kind, including antisemitism and Islamophobia. La Trobe’s commitment to academic freedom and freedom of speech is consistent with our approach to creating safe environments for the free exchange of ideas.”

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