Anthony Albanese‘s government has defended Grace Tame‘s legacy as a child-protection advocate amid growing calls for the former Australian of the Year to be stripped of her honour following controversial comments at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney.
The issue was raised on Tuesday morning during Sunrise’s live political panel, after Tame faced criticism for leading chants of ‘globalise the intifada’ at a protest against the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
‘Now Grace Tame is being urged to have her Australian of the Year honour stripped after she led a chant the Jewish community calls offensive at a pro‑Palestine rally in Sydney,’ host Nat Barr said, before asking Housing Minister Clare O’Neil whether Tame should lose her award.
‘That is a contentious phrase that the NSW government is considering banning. Should Grace Tame be stripped of her honour?’ Barr asked.
O’Neil declined to back any move to remove the award, and instead highlighted Tame’s significant contribution to protecting survivors of child sexual abuse.
‘We just remember that every single child in our country is safer today because of her willingness to talk about traumatic incidents of sexual abuse, events that occurred in her childhood,’ she said.
‘That has got to be a part of the discussion here.’
However, she also condemned the language Tame used at the rally, saying references to an ‘intifada’ were deeply distressing to Jewish Australians.
Sunrise’s political panel discusses the controversy surrounding Grace Tame after mounting pressure over chants led at a Sydney protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit
Housing Minister Clare O’Neil defended Tame’s contribution to child abuse survivors but said chants referencing an ‘intifada’ were deeply distressing to Jewish Australians
‘I also feel very strongly that no Australian today should be on our streets using words like “globalise the intifada”,’ O’Neil said.
‘We need to put ourselves in the shoes of Jewish Australians and understand that those words are heard by this community as saying that violence against Jews should be encouraged, and that is not the right thing to say today or any day in our country.’
She said Jewish Australians ‘have just been subjected to the worst terrorist attack in Australian history’, and said the Prime Minister had urged the nation to ‘turn the temperature down’.
‘We do not want to see global conflicts brought to our streets here in Australia. We are a peaceful, harmonious community and we need to act like it.’
Nationals Senate politician Bridget McKenzie agreed that Tame’s award recognised her bravery in exposing child sexual abuse, but said consequences for her comments should still be considered.
‘Miss Tame was awarded her Order of Australia as a result of bravely telling her personal story of sexual abuse. That hasn’t changed,’ McKenzie told Barr.
‘But removing a little badge from her lapel won’t change the fact that she is a leader, particularly with young women, and has a lot of influence.’
She suggested police may need to examine whether Tame’s actions amounted to inciting hatred toward Jewish Australians, noting rising fears within the community.
Anthony Albanese and Israeli President Isaac Herzog
‘President Herzog’s visit should be a time of healing… and what we’ve seen on our streets unfortunately reinforces that global perspective that our country is not safe for Jewish people, which is absolutely not the truth,’ she said.
At Monday night’s rally outside Sydney Town Hall, Tame accused Israel’s leadership of responsibility for civilian deaths in Gaza, alleging President Herzog had engaged in ‘incitement to genocide’ and had ‘signed his name on bombs that were used to kill innocent women and children.’
She also criticised Australia’s treatment of pro‑Palestine demonstrators, describing the country as ‘a so‑called democracy that punishes peaceful protesters like us but welcomes a war criminal with open arms.’
Ms Tame then led the crowd in chanting: ‘From Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada!’
The phrase now sits at the centre of a growing political row, with the NSW government reviewing whether it should fall under tougher hate speech laws.
