“IT'S PROBLEMATIC”: ABC star Charlie Pickering turns on own network over Grace Tame hire

Charlie Pickering has criticised the ABC over its hiring of activist Grace Tame, as public backlash mounts against the network’s left-wing bias and demands grow louder to defund the public broadcaster.

Rukshan Fernando
  |   June 02, 2026   |   News Analysis   |   Be the first to comment

ABC presenter Charlie Pickering has publicly criticised his own broadcaster’s decision to hire Grace Tame, describing the appointment as “problematic”.

The comments came after Pickering emerged from the ABC’s Southbank headquarters in Melbourne on Tuesday and encountered a protest outside the broadcaster’s offices. He was approached by Rebel News reporter Avi Yemini and asked about the ABC’s decision to hire former Australian of the Year Grace Tame.

The protest, organised by Allies for a Strong Australia, centred on long-running concerns about perceived political bias at the national broadcaster. It coincided with news that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation had appointed Tame as host of Autistic AF with Grace Tame, a new podcast series under the broadcaster’s We Need To Talk banner.

The first episode aired on Tuesday, featuring Tame in conversation with ABC presenter Yumi Stynes.

The decision has drawn sharp criticism, with many arguing it represents yet another example of the ABC blurring the line between public broadcasting and ideological campaigning by elevating a figure whose public interventions have become increasingly divisive and politically charged.

Demonstrators outside Southbank accused the taxpayer-funded broadcaster of repeatedly platforming activist voices while sidelining balance and dissent. Some carried signs calling for the ABC to be defunded, arguing it has drifted far from its mandate as an impartial public broadcaster.

Much of the recent controversy surrounding Tame stems from her public commentary following Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, in which approximately 1,200 people were murdered and hundreds more taken hostage.

In March, during an appearance on ABC Sydney Mornings with host Hamish Macdonald, Tame dismissed a listener’s question about whether she condemned the rape and murder of Israeli women by Hamas terrorists. She described reports of sexual violence during the attacks as “propaganda” and claimed they had been “debunked”.

Grace Tame CALLED FOR VIOLENCE — now she’s playing the VICTIM

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Disgraced Australian of the Year faces public backlash and financial fallout, with all of her 2026 engagements cancelled due to her own actions.

The remarks triggered widespread condemnation from Jewish organisations and women’s rights advocates, who pointed to extensive reporting, survivor testimony, and international investigations documenting sexual violence during the attacks, arguing her comments were not only inflammatory but demonstrably at odds with established findings.

The Australian Jewish Association condemned the ABC’s decision to hire Tame, describing it as a serious lapse in judgment and questioning how such a figure was deemed suitable for a national broadcaster.

AJA chief executive Robert Gregory said the ABC had shown a “profound lack of judgment” in elevating her to a prominent platform.

“Just months ago, Tame dismissed reports of sexual violence committed against Israeli women on October 7 as ‘propaganda’ and falsely claimed they had been ‘debunked’,” Gregory said.

Gregory also referenced Tame’s call to “globalise the intifada” following the Bondi Junction terror attack, a slogan widely condemned as inflammatory and interpreted by critics as endorsing a violent political movement associated with attacks on civilians.

Criticism has since intensified across social media and commentary circles, with many arguing the ABC has effectively rewarded a pattern of provocative and polarising activism by handing Tame a new platform under the guise of public-interest programming.

Far from being a neutral voice, critics say Tame has repeatedly inserted herself into the most divisive geopolitical and cultural flashpoints, often in ways that have generated backlash and endangered the public.

In almost any other context, dismissing allegations of mass sexual violence against one group while minimising or disputing widely reported atrocities would be professionally disqualifying. Yet they say the ABC appears to apply a different standard when the controversy aligns with certain ideological narratives.

For a taxpayer-funded institution already under sustained scrutiny over impartiality and trust, the controversy surrounding Grace Tame’s appointment is likely to further fuel debate about whether the ABC is meeting the standards expected of a national broadcaster.

SIGN THE PETITION: Strip Grace Tame's Australian of the Year honour & charge her!

39,075 signatures
Goal: 60,000 signatures
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This petition calls to strip Grace Tame of her 2021 Australian of the Year honour following her public chant to 'from Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the intifada' at a Sydney rally.

Will you sign?

Rukshan Fernando

Rebel News Australia Content Manager and Commentator

Rukshan Fernando is an Australian political commentator, filmmaker, and journalist. He is known for his on-the-ground coverage and livestreams of protests and social issues, with a strong focus on stories often overlooked by the mainstream media. As a Content Manager and Reporter with Rebel News Australia, Rukshan works alongside Australia Bureau Chief Avi Yemini to bring the other side of the story from down under.

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