Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has apologised after describing child sexual abuse survivor and advocate Grace Tame as “difficult” during a rapid-response word game.
Albanese used the term when asked to describe Tame, the 2021 Australian of the Year. He later said he meant that she had faced a “very difficult life” and praised her for turning hardship into advocacy. He added that he was sorry “if there was any misinterpretation.”
Tame rejected the apology. She wrote on Instagram, “Spare me the condescension, old man. We all know what you meant.” She also said the word “difficult” is often used to dismiss women who refuse to stay silent.
Greens leader Larissa Waters criticised the comment, saying labelling women as difficult would not silence them. She suggested stronger words such as “unbreakable” or “fierce.”
During the same event, Albanese described Donald Trump as “president,” opposition leader Angus Taylor as “leader,” Pauline Hanson as “divisive,” and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a “grub.”
Grace Tame received the Australian of the Year award for campaigning to change Tasmania’s laws, which once prevented sexual abuse survivors from speaking publicly. As a teenager, she was groomed and abused by her former maths teacher, Nicolaas Ockert Bester, who was later convicted.
In 2022, Tame gained national attention when she refused to smile during a public event with then-prime minister Scott Morrison. She had criticised his government’s response to sexual assault allegations in parliament.
Recently, Tame faced criticism for speaking at a pro-Palestine rally and using the phrase “globalise the intifada.” The phrase is under review as part of proposed laws targeting hateful slogans following the Bondi Beach attack. Some view the term as a call for violence, while others describe it as resistance against occupation.
Some politicians have called for Tame to lose her Australian of the Year title over the remark.
