ScoMo responds to Aussie of Yearâs swipe Grace Tame was perplexed by the Prime Ministerâs reaction to her speech. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman
News by James Hall 24th May 2021 2:51 PM | Updated: 4:04 PM
The Prime Minister has defended his choice of words to Grace Tame after the sexual assault advocate delivered her powerful and emotional speech on receiving the Australian of the Year Award.
Ms Tame, who has become a leading voice to force sexual abuse reform and social change, has been widely admired for her now iconic speech in January.
But speaking on the Betoota Advocate podcast, she revealed to the satirical hosts that she was perplexed by the Prime Ministerâs reaction.
A woman who was made Australian of the Year for exposing the teacher who raped her as a student and campaigning successfully to change the law, has revealed the prime minister’s whispered response to
Grace Tame has revealed what Prime Minister
Scott Morrison said to her following her powerful Australian of the Year speech, and you’ll never say a “yikes” so loud in your life.
It was during a chat with
The Betoota Advocate podcast that Tame dropped the anecdote, further cementing Morrison’s well-earned reputation for containing all the empathy of a lizard.
“Do you know what he said to me, right after I finished that speech and we’re in front of a wall of media?” Grace told the
Betoota Advocate boys,
Errol Parker.
“I shit you not, he leant over and right in my ear he goes: ‘Well, gee, I bet it felt good to get that out’.”
Betoota‘s Clancy Overell and Errol Parker responded to the story laughing, and noted that he could have just said “thank you” instead.
Tame followed up the anecdote by saying that her manager’s mother an elderly lifetime Liberal voter commented on Morrison’s reaction with: “That man does nothing right”.
In parliament today, Labor’s Tania Plibersek asked Morrison if Tame’s retelling of the story was accurate and if that actually was what he said in response “to this brave woman’s extraordinary speech”.
Morrison said he couldn’t “recall the exact words” he used but did reinforce that it was roughly his recollection of what he said on the day and he stood by the sentiment of the comment, saying it was a proud moment for Tame.
Last modified on Mon 24 May 2021 03.59 EDT
Sexual assault survivor Grace Tame says Scott Morrison responded to her powerful speech at this yearâs Australia Day awards ceremony by remarking, âWell, gee, I bet it felt good to get that outâ.
In a podcast interview for the satirical newspaper the Betoota Advocate, Tame revealed the prime ministerâs comment as she criticised the Coalitionâs handling of sexual violence complaints and argued the assistant minister for women, Amanda Stoker, was not up to the job.
The Betoota Advocate hosts described Morrison as âvisibly uncomfortableâ during Tameâs Australian of the Year speech in January.