Published: 10 June 2026
Last updated: 11 June 2026
The ABC’s decision to give Grace Tame a new platform as a podcast host has revived questions about her dismissal of evidence of sexual violence during the October 7 Hamas attacks – and whether some victims are deemed less worthy of belief than others.
Tame, the former Australian of the Year whose advocacy transformed the national conversation about child sexual abuse, will front a series exploring the experiences of autistic women and gender-diverse Australians.
Only months ago, appearing on ABC Radio Sydney with Hamish Macdonald, Tame suggested that reports Israeli women were raped and sexually assaulted during the October 7 Hamas attacks had been “debunked” and were merely “propaganda”.
When Macdonald pointed out that the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict had found reasonable grounds to believe sexual violence had occurred during the attacks, Tame rejected that conclusion, saying she would not “sink to the level of entertaining propaganda”.
I am a survivor of rape as an adult and of childhood sexual abuse. Like many victims, I know that the trauma of sexual violence is often compounded by disbelief. Victims are questioned, doubted, dismissed or accused of exaggeration. It is one reason why so many women remain silent.
Allegations of sexual violence should be judged on evidence, not ideology
For many of us who have experienced sexual violence, Tame became a powerful voice. We listened to her. We admired her courage and were grateful for her leadership. She spoke publicly about the abuse she endured and challenged a legal system that prevented victims from identifying themselves. In doing so, she helped change laws and attitudes and encouraged Australians to take allegations of sexual violence seriously.
Comments2
Mary Garden12 June at 04:58 am
I agree Joe Lenzo. Did you read Deborah Stones’s excellent article 29 May, “Sexual violence exposed on both sides of Israel-Palestine conflict”
A new report provides extensive evidence of Hamas sexual terror, while research reveals cases of Israeli prison guards using sexual violence on Palestinian detainees
joe lenzo11 June at 11:00 pm
IT GOES BOTH WAYS:
The United Nations has found credible evidence and reasonable grounds to believe that some Palestinian detainees have been subjected to sexual violence, sexualized torture, and other forms of sexual abuse in Israeli detention facilities. The UN has called for independent investigations and accountability, and it does not support claims that such allegations can be dismissed outright as fabricated or impossible.
Similarly, regarding the October 7 attacks, the UN found reasonable grounds to believe that sexual violence was committed against Israeli victims. In both contexts, the UN’s position is that allegations of conflict-related sexual violence should be investigated based on evidence rather than accepted or rejected solely because of the identity of the alleged perpetrators or victims.