Conservatorium High School hits back amid reports it had pulled Grace Tame from consent program

One of the country’s most prestigious selective schools has denied removing Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame from a consent education program after she led a controversial chant at a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney.

Ms Tame has previously featured in the Consent & Healthy Relationships classes for Years 9 and 10 students at Conservatorium High School, a specialist public school for gifted musicians located near the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Sydney Opera House.

On Tuesday, the NSW Department of Education hit back at media reports that her involvement in the program had been cut short.

Last week, Ms Tame led a chant from the steps of Town Hall, saying “From Gadigal to Gaza, globalise the Intifada,” which was echoed by thousands of demonstrators waving Palestinian flags.

Gadigal is the Aboriginal name for Sydney, while intifada refers to Palestinian uprisings against Israel. The chant “globalise the intifada” is seen as a call to violence.

A NSW Department of Education spokesman said Grace Tame was not associated with the school as an alumnus or as a speaker.

He also said the slate of speakers for this year’s event had not yet been chosen.

“The school runs their consent program in the middle of the year,” he said.

“In the past they have used Grace’s name with others who have spoken about consent. The list of names to be used in the program for 2026 has not been determined. No names have been removed or erased.”

The February 9 rally was organised to protest the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who had been invited by Governor-General Sam Mostyn following the Bondi Beach terror attack to meet victims’ families and attend memorial events.

Protests over his visit escalated after organisers defied a court order banning the march, risking arrest under special police powers introduced by the NSW Government following the Bondi terror attack on December 14.

NSW has been considering following Queensland in banning the chant as hate speech when used to cause menace, harassment or offence.

Petitions have since been launched calling for Ms Tame to be stripped of her 2021 Australian of the Year title, with one attracting more than 27,000 signatures.

Ms Tame responded on Instagram, writing: “This is not the first time I’ve been made a villain for speaking out,” and, “I refuse to be silent.”

She has previously described her activism as a “pursuit of justice” and labelled Mr Herzog an alleged genocidist and war criminal.

Ms Tame rose to national prominence campaigning for law reform for sexual assault survivors in Tasmania.

Her work in consent education at the Conservatorium school included presentations alongside Saxon Mullins and Chanel Contos, both prominent advocates in sexual violence law reform.