David Kirk,chair of the festival board,thanked Law for his service and praised him as “an insightful and much valued member of our board since joining in 2020.”
Earlier this week,Kirk apologised to the artists affected but confirmed the board would not hand back the sponsorship money from the embassy. He promised “a full and independent review of the processes around the taking of public money”.
“We are hoping that review will help us never put artists in the situation we put them in this year whereby they’ve felt pressured or compromised to withdraw their acts,” KirktoldThe Sydney Morning Herald. “We are very sorry that we’ve done that to artists,and we accept that we have to do better.”
But boycott co-organiser Fahad Ali,who said the boycott would be lifted as soon as the sponsorship was returned,questioned the festival’s insistence on keeping the money.
“Having recognised that this decision has put artists in a compromising position,why wouldn’t they terminate the sponsorship now?” he said. “If it has had the effect that it has left artists feeling compromised and unsafe,why continue to put artists in harm’s way?”