VOICE FOR VICTIMS
ON August 12, 2019, the Mercury’s front page carried the image of a courageous young Tasmanian woman staring defiantly at the camera lens — and declared: “My name is Grace Tame, and I am Jane Doe.”
Today, just 17 months later, Ms Tame wakes as Australia’s 75th Australian of the Year — a tribute to her remarkable bravery, and the extraordinary campaign that led to her story being used as the catalyst for the removal of a law that dictated that any victim of a sexual crime was silenced forever unless a Supreme Court judge determined they could tell it.
At 15, Ms Tame endured what no child should have to.
Not only was she groomed and her virginity stolen from her by a paedophile teacher, she had to fight to tell her story publicly.
Grace Tame’s abuser was able to speak publicly about his abuse many times, but Ms Tame was left effectively voiceless.
Her case was a catalyst for freelance journalist Nina Funnell forming the #LetHerSpeak campaign in partnership with the Mercury, Marque Lawyers, End Rape On Campus Australia and news.com.au.
Due to the campaign, the archaic gag laws in Tasmania and the Northern Territory were both amended in 2020 and last year the campaign was expanded to challenge recently introduced sexual assault victim gag laws in Victoria.
That work is ongoing.
That the Australian of the Year awards recognises the courage of Ms Tame is not just important and fitting recognition for her struggle, but it is a win for all survivors.
The reason Ms Tame wanted to share her story was to help educate the public, particularly around the issue of grooming.
She also wanted to remind survivors that their voices matter. “You will be heard. It’s not your fault. We believe you,” she said at an awards ceremony in 2019.
Ms Tame is not the only Tasmanian victim to speak publicly.
At 17, Tameka Ridgeway survived an unimaginable attack at the hands of Jamie John Curtis and an accomplice.
The two men broke into her Glenorchy home. They tortured, abducted and eventually killed Tameka’s fiance and raped, assaulted and abducted Tameka.
The change to legislation allowed Tameka to tell her story for the first time in the Mercury last year and she used her voice to plead for Curtis to remain incarcerated.
In 2018 the parole board noted Curtis still displayed a “high number of psychopathic traits” which “cannot be cured”, but went on to praise his “polite and courteous” engagement with prison staff.
He was released but detained again within months after he set up prohibited accounts on dating sites. He’ll be free within days and his release will not just panic his victim, but is of extreme concern to the broader community.