The ABC has once again insulted Australian Jews by hiring Grace Tame to host a new podcast about autism, a move that should appall the Jewish community and the Australian public, writes Robert Gregory.
A Controversial Choice
When I first heard that the ABC had hired Grace Tame to host a new podcast called 'Autistic AF', I assumed it was a joke. I simply could not believe that Australia's public broadcaster could be so tone-deaf.
Tame has done important and courageous things in her life, but the ABC is doing a disservice both to the autistic community and to the Australian public.
The broadcaster must have known that Tame's recent inflammatory political activism will inevitably overshadow the subject she is supposed to be discussing. Instead of a national conversation about autism, the focus will be on Grace Tame's controversies.
Examining Tame's Recent Conduct
The first episode of the podcast explores how Tame has been labelled "divisive" and "difficult". Let's examine some of the recent conduct that earned her those labels.
Not long after the Bondi attack, Tame led a public chant of "From Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the Intifada." The Intifada was a period marked by sustained terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, including stabbings, shootings and suicide bombings that claimed more than 1,000 lives.
Among the victims was 15-year-old Australian girl Malki Roth, who was murdered in a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. The backlash from across the political spectrum was swift and covered extensively by the ABC.
NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns described the comments as "terrible". Federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said, "Globalise the intifada is a call for violence, let's be clear." One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson called for ASIO to investigate Tame.
Tame wasn't deterred. Just weeks later, during an ABC interview, she dismissed reports of sexual violence committed against Israeli women on October 7 as "propaganda" and falsely claimed they had been "debunked", despite extensive evidence and investigations documenting those crimes. These are not actions to be celebrated.
Why Grace Tame?
Tame has publicly complained about difficulties securing speaking engagements following her inflammatory comments, but it seems there is one organisation eager to provide her with a platform: the taxpayer-funded ABC.
The question Australians should be asking is simple: with so many talented and respected people available, why did the ABC choose Grace Tame?
This would not be the ABC's first high-profile controversy involving figures who have made inflammatory comments about Israel or the Jewish community. It also appears that the ABC has learned little from the Antoinette Lattouf saga, which cost taxpayers a fortune. Cynics might even conclude that the ABC is actively courting controversy as a way to boost its lagging audience numbers.
A Broader Issue
This decision demonstrates a profound lack of judgment and a disregard for the concerns of many Australians, particularly within the Jewish community.
The Royal Commission into antisemitism is currently underway, and many submissions have explicitly raised concerns about the ABC. The Coalition has called for the broadcaster to be examined as part of the process. This latest decision underscores the need for those hearings. However, many in both the Jewish and wider Australian community have already reached the conclusion that the ABC is beyond reform.
The issue is not whether Grace Tame should be allowed to express controversial views. Of course she should. The issue is why Australia's taxpayer-funded national broadcaster chose her to front a podcast about autism when it knew her political controversies would dominate the conversation.
More broadly, Australians are entitled to ask why they are compelled to fund a national broadcaster whose decisions and content many find deeply objectionable.
Robert Gregory is the CEO of the Australian Jewish Association.
