‘You are an influential person, he will have a fear’: Grace Tame claims a member of a government-funded organisation urged her not to criticise the PM. Follow our live coverage:
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins and 2021 Australian of the Year Grace Tame addressed the National Press Club in a nationally televised address on Wednesday. Their joint speech comes a day afterMs Tame said that on August 17 last year she received a phone call from a senior member of a government-funded organisation asking her to promise not to say anything damning about the Prime Minister in the lead-up to the next Australian of the Year awards.
Ms Tame said that on August 17 last year she received a phone call from a senior member of a government-funded organisation asking her to promise not to say anything damning about the Prime Minister in the lead-up to the next Australian of the Year awards.“You are an influential person,” the 2021 Australian of the Year recalled being told. “He will have a fear.”
During her speech, the former Australian of the year laid out three tasks: for the government to take the issue of abuse “in all its forms” more seriously, for adequate and preventative funding to be implemented and for nationally consistent legislation.“[I am] an advocate for all survivors of child sexual abuse, many of whom are male. We must preserve that nuance.
“What bothered me most about the whole ‘imagine if it were our daughters’ spiel wasn’t that he necessarily needed his wife’s advice to help contextualise my rape in a way that mattered to him personally ... I didn’t want his sympathy as a father. I wanted him to use his power as Prime Minister.
“I know our country can do better for women and girls. I know our Parliament will be a better, stronger place if more women are ministers and members and senators and staffers. I know change is possible, and as long as there are people like Grace Tame and Rosie Batty ... I know that change is coming.”