Latest news with #Araluen
West Australian
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Queen & Fleetwood Mac come to Araluen
The sounds of Queen and Fleetwood Mac will drift through Araluen Botanic Park on Saturday September 13 and Sunday September 14, 2025. Dolce Ensembles will play a symphonic tribute during its twilight Symphony Among the Tulips. And the Araluen team says the twin concerts are a statement about the park's future as a 'year-round destination where nature, history and entertainment come together'. CEO Suzy Parravicini says: 'From vibrant gardens and cascading waterfalls to live music, family events, local food and hidden spaces to explore, it's a sensory escape just 35km from Perth. 'Our new look reflects how far we've come. We're more than tulips and exotic plants. With heritage buildings, winding stone pathways and tranquil picnic grasslands, Araluen is now a dynamic, evolving space designed to be experienced in every season.' Tulip Festival + From August 22 to October 3, 250,000 tulip bulbs will bring a colourful display. + There will be expert-led tours with Yates, the festival's presenting partner. Yates will host guided walks and talks, share gardening tips and planting inspiration. + The trackless train will run from the Concourse from Wednesday to Sunday. + There are new picnic and event spaces. Centenary and Concourse Lawns have been improved and the amphitheatre has new seating to host live music by local artists. + There are weekend markets.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Authors ditch Bendigo Writers Festival over freedom of speech concerns
Stella Prize winner Evelyn Araluen is among a growing number of authors to withdraw from the Bendigo Writers Festival in protest over restrictions on their freedom of speech, in the latest sign of the deep divisions that have erupted in the literary world over Israel-Palestine. Participants of the event were given a code of conduct, seen by this masthead, that stated they must 'avoid language or topics that could be considered inflammatory, divisive, or disrespectful'. The code of conduct also required compliance with La Trobe University's definition of antisemitism. La Trobe has adopted the Universities Australia definition, which several universities around the country have not accepted, saying it conflates antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government and anti-Zionism, and therefore prohibits people speaking out. The code of conduct applies to the La Trobe component of the festival, co-curated by Professor Claire Wright - author of Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions, which this week was short-listed for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. Having devised nine sessions featuring the university's academics and alumni, Wright has also resigned in protest. Others who have also withdrawn include journalist Jess Hill, authors Thomas Mayo, Kate Mildenhall, writer Claire G. Coleman, academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, poet and activist Jeanine Leane and journalist Paul Daley. Araluen wrote to the BWF organisers saying the festival code of conduct 'directly infringes on my freedom of speech… my cultural duty as a First Nations woman and my obligation as someone with a large platform to speak out against oppression, which includes speaking out against Israel's ongoing UN-defined genocide of the Palestinian people.' 'After Israel's latest campaign to permanently silence Al-Jazeera journalists, most recently on Monday, when 23 were killed in a targeted strike, it is reprehensible that a writers festival should ask anyone, let alone a First Nations woman, to self-censor,' Araluen wrote. Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah also wrote to the BWF to withdraw, saying 'I cannot take part in any festival that asks me to endorse a framework that demands my self-censorship.'
The Age
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Authors ditch Bendigo Writers Festival over freedom of speech concerns
Stella Prize winner Evelyn Araluen is among a growing number of authors to withdraw from the Bendigo Writers Festival in protest over restrictions on their freedom of speech, in the latest sign of the deep divisions that have erupted in the literary world over Israel-Palestine. Participants of the event were given a code of conduct, seen by this masthead, that stated they must 'avoid language or topics that could be considered inflammatory, divisive, or disrespectful'. The code of conduct also required compliance with La Trobe University's definition of antisemitism. La Trobe has adopted the Universities Australia definition, which several universities around the country have not accepted, saying it conflates antisemitism with criticism of the Israeli government and anti-Zionism, and therefore prohibits people speaking out. The code of conduct applies to the La Trobe component of the festival, co-curated by Professor Claire Wright - author of Naku Dharuk The Bark Petitions, which this week was short-listed for the Prime Minister's Literary Awards. Having devised nine sessions featuring the university's academics and alumni, Wright has also resigned in protest. Others who have also withdrawn include journalist Jess Hill, authors Thomas Mayo, Kate Mildenhall, writer Claire G. Coleman, academic Randa Abdel-Fattah, poet and activist Jeanine Leane and journalist Paul Daley. Araluen wrote to the BWF organisers saying the festival code of conduct 'directly infringes on my freedom of speech… my cultural duty as a First Nations woman and my obligation as someone with a large platform to speak out against oppression, which includes speaking out against Israel's ongoing UN-defined genocide of the Palestinian people.' 'After Israel's latest campaign to permanently silence Al-Jazeera journalists, most recently on Monday, when 23 were killed in a targeted strike, it is reprehensible that a writers festival should ask anyone, let alone a First Nations woman, to self-censor,' Araluen wrote. Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah also wrote to the BWF to withdraw, saying 'I cannot take part in any festival that asks me to endorse a framework that demands my self-censorship.'
