Published: 19 August 2025
Last updated: 19 August 2025
As an author and a journalist, I’ve appeared at many writers festivals. Here, in no particular order, are a list of things I’ve said that might be considered offensive to some:
“Australia is an inherently racist country, built on a foundation of disenfranchisement, genocide and theft."
"Our health system and the medical research space is intrinsically misogynistic and racist, and results in the worst outcomes for our most marginalised communities."
"Toddlers would make excellent politicians because they both lie to your face (with a few exceptions)."
"Mistakes were made in the founding of the state of Israel which require reparations and truth-telling.”
You don’t have to agree with me on any of these topics, but we live in a country where I am free to say these things. You don’t have to read my work, attend panels on which I’m speaking or engage with me on social media. That’s fine. But it won’t stop me speaking or writing my truth, nor should it stop you from doing the same.
Bendigo Writers Festival became the centre of a free speech controversy last week when more than 50 writers and hosts withdrew by Friday afternoon, leading to 21 sessions being cancelled and a further eight affected. The crisis followed a decision by the Bendigo City Council to issue a code of conduct to writers two days before the festival's opening night gala. The gala was cancelled, but the truncated festival went ahead last weekend.
Consider the following statements directly taken from the code of conduct, which I have read in full:
Comments17
Ian Light26 August at 07:58 am
There can be a free for all expression of views but immense security teams to contain violence and emergency response teams to physical and psychological emergencies just have to be in place .
Robert Manne22 August at 06:50 am
Re Isabelle Oderberg’s challenge. In the 200 words allowed here are extracts from the 5A letter:”Dr Abdel-Fattah is widely known for her antisemitism…She perpetually dehumanises people who hold Zionist views and condemns them as not worthy of human dignity…Taken together, we are concerned that the planned event will serve one purpose only–to propagate an antisemitic agenda and hatred toward Jewish people…We hope that the La Trobe leadership…will take seriously their responsibility to ensure the safety and inclusion of Jewish participants, and to prevent the spread of hatred or rhetoric that dehumanises the Jewish community.” 5A then advises La Trobe how to reorganise the planned event. I am aware that the 5A letter was the precipitant that led to the Code of Conduct etc. The Code led inevitably to Dr Fattah’s and Professor Claire Wright’s withdrawal from the Bendigo Writers Festival followed by some 50 others. Isabelle was quite wrong not to mention the 5A letter in a piece that one of your readers wrongly thought had “nailed it”.
Jan20 August at 07:33 am
In response to Robert, if you read the leaked letter, you will see that the group didn’t demand Randa be removed, that rather they asked for some considerations to be made in relation to the event, including having someone else on the panel.
Also, the LTU anti racism policy was drafted and implemented months ago, which included that definition of antisemitism, so I’m not sure what all the surprise is now from LTU academics.
Isabelle Oderberg20 August at 06:19 am
Hi Robert. I would like to respond to this. Because I cover this point in the article. I state clearly: anyone should feel free to express concern about anything they want. I knew who wrote the letter before it was public knowledge and I have read the letter. What the recipient (in this case the Latrobe VC) chooses to do with that concern is up to them. As stated in the article: it is my opinion that the reaction was a knee-jerk and resulted in an untenable situation, especially given the timeframe.
At no point did 5A call for her removal. They expressed concern and asked organisers to ensure the cultural safety of Jewish participants, and indeed all participants. Whether or not any concern was warranted (not the point here) is for another day
Isabelle
CS20 August at 02:32 am
You make it (acting, thinking with integrity) sound so simple 😀
Joanna20 August at 02:02 am
Thanks Isabelle, for drawing attention to what is often highly hypocritical behaviour, on both sides of the debate.
Paul Vallely19 August at 11:06 pm
This is brilliant. I hope this article receives broad coverage.
Jullie19 August at 11:08 am
your argument is unambiguous, considered, cogent, and also compassionate – thank you. I too hope that it is disseminated widely
Ella Dreyfus19 August at 10:40 am
Brilliant and clearly articulated the issues. Thank you Isabelle.
Wendy Fox19 August at 08:56 am
Thank you for this wise and sanity restoring words. 🙌
Robert Manne19 August at 08:38 am
Because of a curious omission, I’m afraid I do not believe that Isabelle has “nailed it”. We now know that a principally Jewish group called Australian Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism (of which I had not previously heard) wrote to the La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor in July demanding that the Palestinian-Australian writer and academic, Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah, be removed from the Bendigo Writers Festival. For reasons that need to be investigated somehow this letter, and possibly others like it, seems to have convinced the La Trobe Vice-Chancellor or others at my university that the best way to handle the situation was to send participants involved in the La Trobe section of the Festival, curated by Professor Clare Wright, a Code of Conduct and a requirement to accept La Trobe’s definition of both Antisemitism and Islamophobia three days before the Festival began. The obvious result was the destruction of the Festival.
Sandy Joffe19 August at 08:37 am
Thanks for this. It’s thoughtful and honest!
MarieR19 August at 08:17 am
I’m sorry, but only somebody who wasn’t being targeted by this kind of “code of conduct” –somebody whose point of view and/or community was being protected by the code, at the expense of other people’s and communities’ freedom of expression – could shrug it off so arrogantly. “Just get a sassy T-shirt made and then say whatever you like. No biggie!” There’s a profound and concerning lack of understanding of the underlying issues here, both in the article and in the comments.
Lee Kofman19 August at 04:47 am
Isabelle, thank you for expressing so clearly what many of us feel.
Simon Tedeschi19 August at 04:44 am
Superb.
Dalit19 August at 04:39 am
Nailed it.
Michael gawenda19 August at 02:08 am
Terrific piece. I hope it is widely read.