Shadow communications minister slams the ABC over its decision to give Grace Tame a taxpayer-funded job

Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson has slammed the ABC for giving former Australian of the Year Grace Tame a taxpayer-funded job.

The ABC’s new podcast series, Autistic AF with Grace Tame, premiered on the broadcaster’s We Need To Talk series on Tuesday.

It came just months after Tame said she was unable to find work after making controversial pro-Palestine comments.

The shadow communications minister on Tuesday described the ABC’s choice to hire Tame as ‘untenable’.

‘The ABC’s managing director and editor-in-chief, Hugh Marks, must explain how this decision is consistent with the ABC’s editorial standards and statutory obligation to disseminate news and information impartially and accurately,’ Henderson said.

‘At a time when antisemitism is at record levels in Australia, the national broadcaster should be exercising the highest standards of judgement, not rewarding individuals who have undermined social cohesion and spread false information about one of the worst terrorist atrocities in modern history.

‘This decision is deeply offensive to Jewish Australians and does nothing to negate the perception that the ABC provides a safe haven for anti-Israel activists.’

Tame, a survivor of child sexual abuse by a 58-year-old teacher, has championed legal reforms and advocated for survivors and human rights causes.

In recent months, she has battled mass criticism for divisive pro-Palestine comments, including leading a chant to ‘globalise the intifada’

The slogan supports Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation but is seen by some as offensive and inciting hatred.

In March, Tame faced backlash for an interview with ABC Sydney Mornings host Hamish Macdonald.

Macdonald asked, on behalf of a listener, why she is ‘selective in her outrage’ after they said they had never heard her condemn or speak out about Israeli women who were raped and killed by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

‘I’m not going to sink to the level of … of entertaining any kind of propaganda, Hamish. Let’s not do that,’ Tame said.

‘What’s the propaganda included in that question?’ Macdonald asked.

Tame said: ‘Those things have been debunked. Violence is happening on both sides, but this is not a fair fight. We’re not talking about two equal cohorts, even marginally.’

Macdonald raised the findings of the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, which had concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe conflict-related sexual violence took place during the attacks.

When he asked whether that was ‘propaganda’, Tame appeared to walk back her comments, saying ‘awful things are being perpetrated by both sides.’

‘But this is not about ‘whataboutism’. This is not about selective outrage. I’m outraged by all of the violence. Clearly I don’t support any of it,’ she said.

Minister Henderson highlighted Tame’s comments on the October 7 attacks and questioned, ‘how can Australians be expected to trust the ABC when it hires a high-profile activist who spread false information’.

‘Australians are entitled to know whether the ABC conducted any assessment of Ms Tame’s public statements and activism before offering her this role, and whether it considered the impact this appointment would have on public confidence and trust in the broadcaster,’ she said.

‘Mr Marks should also disclose what, if any, restrictions have been placed on Ms Tame to ensure she refrains from using this podcast as a platform for anti-Israel activism or does not otherwise engage in conduct which brings the ABC into disrepute.

‘Given the ongoing public debate as to whether the ABC is meeting community expectations in identifying, addressing, and preventing antisemitism in all its forms, this incident further evidences the need for the ABC to be called before the Royal Commission into antisemitism, as the Coalition has advocated.’

In the new series, Tame explores what life is like for women and gender-diverse people with autism, including her experiences with food and sound sensitivity, as well as ‘masking’.

‘Masking is effectively hiding or changing your traits, needs or interests in order to navigate a world designed primarily for neurotypical people,’ she told ABC presenter Yumi Stynes in the debut episode.

‘The toll of masking can be catastrophic, because those needs still need to be met.

‘I used alcohol and drugs as a coping strategy, which is sadly normalised and easily accessible. Now I turn to running and cycling to regulate my emotions.

‘Exercise has been a really effective tool for emotional regulation and trauma recovery, and it also allows me to socialise in a way that doesn’t require small talk.’