A 2019 photo of Justice Kenneth Hayne and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has exposed the double standards of Grace Tame’s critics.
Footage of former High Court judge Kenneth Hayne refusing to shake the Treasurer’s hand as he prepared to release a damning report was described as “brutal” and “awkward” in a handful of media reports – but that was about the extent of it.
It didn’t spark a frenzied national debate, and male journalists and conservative MPs didn’t describe Hayne’s behaviour “ungracious and rude” or “childish and embarrassing”.Journalist Julia Baird was quick to point out the double standard on Twitter.Grace Tame with Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage
“A quiet reminder that when Justice Kenneth Hayne, head of royal commission into banking misconduct, refused to smile or even shake the hand of the Treasurer during a photo op in 2019, it was not considered the stuff of national calamity,” the host of ABC’s The Drum wrote.“Nor was there uproar when Scott Morrison turned his back on Tanya Plibersek & played with his phone as she addressed him in fed parliament,” Wilkinson added.“Not sure why the rules are different.
Wheelchair racer and Paralympian Kurt Fearnley hit the nail on the head when, sharing a photo of an unsmiling Pope Francis alongside former US President Donald Trump in 2017, he wrote: “Not one bloke, from me to the Pope would’ve been told to ‘smile more’. #justsayin”Nor was there uproar when Scott Morrison turned his back on Tania Plibersek & played with his phone as she addressed him in fed parliament.Not sure why the rules are different. Oh wait..