The ABC is facing criticism from Jewish leaders, politicians and even one of its own high-profile presenters over its decision to proceed with a podcast hosted by Grace Tame, just weeks after she dismissed the rape of Israeli women by Hamas terrorists as “propaganda”.
On Tuesday the ABC announced the controversial activist would host a four-part podcast, Autistic AF with Grace Tame, which will explore what life is like for autistic women and gender-diverse people in Australia.
It was first announced in November that Tame had been commissioned to work on the ABC’s podcast platform in 2026, but that was before she made a series of inflammatory remarks about the conflict in the Middle East.
In February, Tame led a chant of “From Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada” at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney, opposing a visit to Australia by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whom she labelled a “war criminal”.
The following month, Tame told ABC Radio host Hamish Macdonald that reports of Israeli women being raped by Hamas terrorists on October 7 had been “debunked”.
Jewish leaders expressed outraged over the ABC’s decision to proceed with the Tame podcast, accusing the public broadcaster of a “profound lack of judgment”.
Jewish Community Condemns Decision
Australian Jewish Association chief Robert Gregory said he thought at first the ABC announcement was a joke.
“I simply could not believe Australia’s public broadcaster could be so tone deaf,” he said.
“This decision demonstrates a profound lack of judgment and disregard for the concerns of many Australians, particularly within the Jewish community. It reinforces the growing perception that ABC management is increasingly out of touch with the communities it is supposed to serve.”
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin told The Australian that the ABC’s decision to proceed with Ms Tame’s podcast, even after her widely-panned anti-Israel public statements, sent a message that such conduct carried no consequences and even brought financial rewards.
“It seems the ABC has determined that Grace Tame is fit for employment at public expense after screaming chants widely interpreted as calling for global attacks on Jews, and a radio interview in which she doubled down on her comments questioning the widespread pack rape and sexual torture committed by Hamas, which the terrorists themselves never denied,” he said.
“Everyone deserves a second chance but Tame has shown no remorse or regret whatsoever.”
ABC presenter Charlie Pickering said the decision to allow Tame’s podcast to proceed was “problematic”.
Referencing Tame’s comments about the intifada and the October 7, 2023, attacks, Pickering told Rebel News Australia on Tuesday: “I think, as a Jewish Australian, there’s a complete misunderstanding of a lot of the words that are said and what (the) true meanings of them are. A lot of people are using words and phrases that have meaning well beyond what they think they do.
“I think you could argue that a lot of people who jump on protest bandwagons are ignorant a lot of the time,” he said.
Liberal federal MP Sarah Henderson, the opposition spokesperson for communications, said the public broadcaster’s managing director, 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”.
“At a time when antisemitism is at record levels in Australia, the national broadcaster should be exercising the highest standards of judgment, not rewarding individuals who have undermined social cohesion and spread false information about one of the worst terrorist atrocities in modern history,” she said.
“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.”
The ABC Response
An ABC spokesperson said the taxpayer-funded broadcaster had been “working with Ms Tame on this series since late 2025”.
“The ABC rejects the views made by Grace Tame about October 7,” they said.
The Australian asked the ABC if any consideration had been given to scrapping the podcast in the wake of Tame’s comments about October 7 and her public plea to “globalise the intifada”, but the spokesperson did not respond.