After Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologised to former Australian of the Year Grace Tame for describing her as “difficult”, the prominent child sexual abuse survivor and advocate delivered a sharp rebuke.
The stoush erupted on Wednesday when Mr Albanese was asked to describe Ms Tame in one word during a conference appearance in Melbourne.
“Difficult,” he replied.
Pressed on the comment a day later, the Prime Minister said he had been referring to the hardships Ms Tame had endured, not her personality. “If there was any misinterpretation, then I certainly apologise,” he told reporters.
“Grace Tame, you certainly can’t describe in one word. She has had a difficult life, and that was what I was referring to.”
Ms Tame has since rejected the explanation, taking to Instagram to condemn both the remark and the apology.
“Dude’s quoting Scott (Morrison) now!!! ‘She’s had a difficult life’… Spare me the condescension, old man,” she wrote in one comment.
“A badge of honour anyway. A confession that I’ve ruffled him.”
In a separate post, she labelled the apology “a patronising cop out from a total coward”.
The Prime Minister’s one-word characterisations at the same event extended to other political figures. He described former US president Donald Trump as “president”, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson as “divisive”, and voters for One Nation as “frustrated”. He declined to offer a single-word description of Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce.
Ms Tame, a high-profile campaigner for survivors of sexual abuse, has previously maintained a cordial relationship with Mr Albanese. However, she was a fierce critic of former prime minister Scott Morrison, particularly over his government’s handling of the rape allegation raised by former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins in 2021.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said Mr Albanese’s comments were unfortunate but welcomed his apology.
“Let’s be honest, it’s because of difficult women that we’ve had some of the most significant changes throughout history,” she told reporters in Canberra.
“Rather than denigrating women for being difficult, we should be celebrating them.”
Images: Instagram
