Grace Tame, Australian of the Year and the literal spokesperson for preventing child sex abuse, awkwardly discovered she was not consulted on the Federal Government’s National Child Sex Abuse Strategy right in the middle of a live interview.
Like many of us, a reporter on ABC News 24 assumed yesterday that someone like Grace Tame would’ve been involved in the drafting of the government’s new strategy against child sex abuse they plan to announce next week. However, when she asked the 26-year-old sexual abuse activist about what we can expect from it, Tame admitted that she hadn’t been consulted nor even was aware it was happening.
“The federal government, Grace, is announcing details of a national strategy to prevent child sexual abuse next week. I’m presuming you’ve been involved in the drafting of that. What can we expect,” asked the ABC news presenter.
Grace then shook her head as the presenter asked, “no, you haven’t been?”
“No, I haven’t been involved in the drafting of that,” Tame said.
“I presume you would like to have been,” said the ABC reporter.
Not inviting Grace Tame to participate in the National Strategy for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse is not an oversight. It is a message. Each time I think I could not be more disgusted with this government they sink even lower.
— Emma (@emma__jayne14) October 22, 2021
“Sure, I mean that’s my job and I’ve been banging on about it all year that we should be focusing on prevention but,” Grace replied, before raising her hands up in a very “well, fuck my career and actual progress towards preventing child sexual abuse, right?” kinda gesture.
“I’m not gonna be malcontented and complain that I haven’t been invited to participate in that…”
The reporter then asked Tame when she was first aware that the announcement would be happening without her consultation, which is where Grace, very fairly says in a clear tone of annoyance, “when you just told me just now.”
You can watch the moment below.
https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1451434741069012992
It’s a pretty fkn big deal for the federal government to have not reached out to Grace Tame here, and suggests that they still aren’t listening to survivors or the people at the forefront of this issue.
In a follow-up Twitter thread, Tame revealed that Haley Foster, the CEO of Rape Domestic Violence Services, and Mike Salter, a leading primary prevention expert, were also not consulted on the new national strategy.
“This speaks to a pattern of deliberate secrecy and siloing,” she explained.
“One that allows those at the very top to maintain ultimate control… ‘divide and conquer’ as they say, Meanwhile, real reform doesn’t get traction amid miscommunication and distraction.
“Look no further than the Safety Summit. Brittany Higgins – a major leader of the conversation around sexual violence – wasn’t invited. Not to mention us delegates weren’t given a timetable until days before, and the summaries were already being drafted before the event had begun.”
She continued, explaining that “What a lot of people on the outside don’t see here is that there isn’t a lack of answers, there’s a lack of political will. Why? Because evidenced-based solutions aren’t as exciting as ‘reinventing the wheel’. And sharing the credit means less of a chance to win the day in the media.
“Frontline workers and survivor advocates like myself, we’re here. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and assist. We’re ready to put differences aside in the spirit of progress. We have been for a long time.
“What would be really refreshing to see is the federal government admit it’s overlooked the voices that really matter here. There’s still time. I for one haven’t given up yet.”
https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1451434746119000071
https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1451434748006395909
https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1451434749948358657
https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1451434754075623425
https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1451434755761709059
https://twitter.com/TamePunk/status/1451434757577842691
As of publishing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Federal Minister for Women Marisa Payne have not responded to claims Tame was not consulted on the National Strategy for Child Sex Abuse.
