Sydney Writers' Festival 2023 - Day Five

Sunday 28 May 2023 was the last day of the Sydney Writer's Festival. My festival friend and I had tickets to two sessions but bought rush seats for two more.

Barrie Cassidy and Friends

We always love seeing former ABC Insiders host Barrie Cassidy in conversation with esteemed journalists about current affairs. This year his panel featured journalists Laura Tingle (ABC 7:30), Niki Savva (SMH/The Age) and Amy Remeikis (The Guardian). They talked about the year in politics and what has happened in the first year of the Albanese Labor government. (Exactly one year ago we saw Barrie in conversation on election day when the outcome was not yet known). 

The panel talked about the key moments of the past year - advancing The Uluru Statement from the Heart and announcing the referendum, re-establishing Australia's reputation globally, and restoring cabinet government. They also dissected some of the problems the government faces - the economy and the looming stage three tax cuts, the environment, and the shift towards independents. 

There was consensus among the panel that the opposition has lost its way - lurching further towards the fringe. Remeikis gave an impassioned plea to listen to younger people who will make up the majority of the electorate and are concerned about social justice, the environment and housing as priorities. In all, an excellent conversation.

Fifty Shades of Teal

Barrie Cassidy mentioned in his session that he was also chairing a panel discussing the rise of independent candidates, so we bought rush seats to attend. The panel featured Independent MP for Indi Helen Haines, philanthropist Simon Holmes A Court (The Big Teal) and journalist Margot Saville (The Teal Revolution). They discussed the success the independents had in the last election, unseating key Liberals in what were thought of as safe-seats, like Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong. 

The panel discussed the dissatisfaction of voters in these electorates who were frustrated at the Liberal government's lack of action on climate change, the lack of integrity and the way they took their electorates for granted. Holmes A Court described how the Climate 200 campaign supported candidates and how the media presented the campaign as a billionaire influencing elections, when it was largely crowd-funding to support the campaign. Haines spoke about the role of the independents in Parliament and how in this term they have been given more opportunities to be involved. 

The rise of the independents is a fascinating evolution in Australian politics. After the session I bought a copy of Saville's book The Teal Revolution and I look forward to learning more. 

This is Their Life

Laura Tingle chaired a panel on writing biography with authors Paddy Manning (The Successor - about Lachlan Murdoch), Margaret Simons (Tanya Plibersek: On Her Own Terms), and Niki Savva (Bulldozed - about the Morrison government). The panel discussed the challenges of writing about other people's lives, especially when unauthorised or the subject is not cooperative.

One of the interesting parts of the discussion is about the personal lives of the people they are writing about and what is or is not in the public interest. Generally the thought was that the private lives of public people are off-limits, except where there was a contrast with their public persona (e.g. a conservative politician who espouses family values but is having an adulterous affair), or where something in a private life impacts a decision made (e.g. Plibersek deciding not to run for leadership so she could support her daughter).

The panel also discussed the challenge of publishers wanting a scoop to sell the book and the difference between writing about an individual or about a government. 

After the session I bought a copy of Manning's book The Successor which promises to be an interesting read. 

The Voice to Parliament

For our final session of the Sydney Writers' Festival we bought rush seats to hear about the Voice to Parliament and the book written by Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo and veteran journalist Kerry O'Brien, called The Voice to Parliament: All the detail you need. Chaired by lawyer Jennifer Robinson, the two men spoke about the Voice and this moment in the history of our nation where we have an opportunity to make a significant step towards Reconciliation. 

O'Brien spoke about why this is an important issue for him. He dismayed at the way the way this issue has been politicised and expects that the harm it will do to First Nations people will be similar to the harm done to the LGBTQIA+ community during the same-sex marriage plebiscite. 

Mayo spoke about the reasons why the Voice is needed, what it is and is not, and what it will mean to First Nations people if the referendum fails. He concluded the session, by standing centre-stage and reciting The Uluru Statement from the Heart. This was such a moving moment. While I have read the Uluru Statement many times, to have it articulated like this was breathtaking. 

So that's a wrap on my Sydney Writers' Festival 2023. Twenty-two sessions over five days, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single session. Highlights included:

• The mateship between Sam Neill and Brian Brown 
• Bernardine Evaristo talking about her work and life
• Helen Garner and Hedley Thomas discussing crime and justice
• Eleanor Catton discussing Birnam Wood with Beejay Silcox
• Colson Whitehead's laughter in conversation with Michael Williams
• Sarah Holland-Batt reading her poetry from The Jaguar
• Amy Remeikis' voice of reason in the panel on politics with Barrie Cassidy
• Thomas Mayo's rousing rendition of the Uluru Statement from the Heart
• Meeting authors at book signings - including Sam Neill, Jane Harper, Geraldine Brooks, Eleanor Catton and many more.
• Spending time with my festival friend!

I now have plenty of things to read before next year's festival!

Books Purchased at SWF2023

• Peter Frankopan - The Silk Roads
• Sarah Holland-Batt - The Jaguar
• Suzie Miller - Prima Facie
• Margot Saville - The Teal Revolution
• Paddy Manning - The Successor
• Thomas Mayo and Kerry O'Brien - The Voice to Parliament
• Helen Garner - Honor and Other People's Children

Read more about my SWF2023 here:

• SWF2023 - Overall impressions
• Day One - Bernardine Evaristo; Shehan Karunatilaka
• Day Two - Sophie Cunningham; Anne Casey-Hardy; Fiona Kelly McGregor; Brigitta Olubas; Robbie Arnott; George Monbiot; Sarah Holland-Batt; Jane Harper; Richard Fidler; Peter Frankopan
• Day Three - Geraldine Brooks; Sally Colin-James; Pip Williams; Eleanor Catton; Raina MacIntyre; Clementine Ford; Colson Whitehead
• Day Four - Jennifer Robinson; Hedley Thomas; Helen Garner; Sarah Krasnostein; Pip Williams; Richard Flanagan; Eleanor Catton; Colson Whitehead; Tracey Lien; Sam Neill; Bryan Brown
• Day Five - Barrie Cassidy; Laura Tingle; Niki Savva; Amy Remeikis; Margot Saville; Simon Holmes A Court; Helen Haines; Margaret Simons; Paddy Manning; Kerry O'Brien; Thomas Mayo