ABC defends new Grace Tame podcast amid backlash over ‘intifada’ chants

Grace Tame was signed on for a new ABC podcast before she made controversial Israel chants, ABC managing director Hugh Marks said.

The former Australian of the Year led “globalise the intifada” chants during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit to Australia earlier this year.

The ABC announced earlier this month that Ms Tame would host a new four-part series podcast, Autistic AF, delving into her experiences of being an autistic woman with interviews with experts and other women.

Mr Marks told ABC Radio National Breakfast that he understood why people felt Ms Tame shouldn’t have an ABC program given the controversy.

“But I think if you look at the program itself, it’s a great podcast that she’s done, a great job on a topic that I’m sure will be of real interest and real importance to many Australians who suffer from those conditions and particularly young Australians and young Australian women,” Mr Marks said.

It comes after conservative media commentators and politicians condemned the ABC’s decision to produce a podcast with Ms Tame.

Right-wing media figure Avi Yemini asked ABC entertainer Charlie Pickering whether he felt Tame’s appointment was appropriate.

“I do actually think it’s problematic, that’s my personal opinion,” Pickering said.

“As a Jewish Australian, there is a complete misunderstanding of a lot of the words that were said and what the true meaning of them are. A lot of people are using words and phrases that have meaning well beyond what they think they do.”

The Australia Institute chief political analyst Amy Remeikis said attacks on Ms Tame in the wake of Pickering’s comments had been “unhinged” in a BlueSky post.

“The attacks against Grace Tame are disingenuous and unhinged. Deliberately lacking context to cause fear and harm. Enough,” she said.

The podcast was launched months after Ms Tame lost speaking gigs around the nation in what she described as an “ongoing national smear campaign”.

She defended her actions in an interview with ABC radio host Hamish McDonald, saying she was a human-rights activist who advocated for the safety of all human beings, no matter their background.

Opposition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson said last week the ABC’s decision was “deeply offensive” in a lengthy media release that criticised Ms Tame’s pro-Palestinian activism.

“The ABC’s shock decision to employ as a podcast host Grace Tame, who described corroborated reports of Hamas’ sexual violence against Israeli women as ‘propaganda’ which had been ‘debunked’ and led a pro-Palestine rally chanting ‘globalise the intifada’ is untenable,” Senator Henderson said.

“At a time when anti-Semitism 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.

“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.”

Ms Tame is yet to comment publicly on the controversy.