Grace Tame Claims She Was Asked To Not Speak Badly Of Morrison Before Election
"I received a threatening phone call from a senior member of a government-funded organisation."
Grace Tame has revealed she received a threatening phone call asking for her word that she wouldn’t say anything critical about Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the evening of the 2022 Australian of the Year awards out of fear of how it could impact the upcoming election.
— Content Warning: This article discusses child sexual abuse. —
Tame and Brittany Higgins gave joint addresses at the National Press Club on Wednesday, both speaking powerfully and candidly about their experiences and what needs to be done when it comes to sexual violence in Australia.
“I received a threatening phone call from a senior member of a government-funded organisation, asking for my word that I would not say anything damning about the prime minister on the evening of the next Australian of the Year Awards,” said Tame. “Then I heard the words, ‘with an election coming soon…’
“And it crystallised a fear — fear for himself and no one else, a fear he might lose his position or, more to the point, his power. Sound familiar to anyone? Well, it does to me.”
Tame — who was groomed and repeatedly sexually abused by a teacher at her school with a known history of preying on students — was quick to point out the similarities between the comments made by the unnamed senior member and her abuser.
“I remember standing in the shadow of a trusted authority figure, being threatened in just the same veiled way. I remember him saying: “I will lose my job if anyone hears about that, and you would not want that, would you?” said Tame.
“What I wanted in that moment is the same thing I want right now, and that is an end to the darkness, an end to sexual violence, safety, equity, respect, a better future for all of us — peace, a future driven by unity and truth.”
When asked by the media if this was the reason for her infamous side-eye at the Australian of the Year morning tea, Tame simply noted that she acts “with integrity”, while refusing to share her response to the phone call at the time.
“I act with integrity,” said Tame. “It doesn’t matter now.”
When asked if she would name the organisation or the individual in question, Tame noted that if she intended to reveal that information, she would’ve done so in her speech.
“I remember standing in the shadow of a trusted authority figure, being threatened in just the same veiled way.”
Throughout the powerful joint address, both Tame and Higgins courageously used their own traumatic stories to advocate for the government to take real action on the ever-present issue of sexual violence in Australia. Higgins noted that while Morrison made some questionable comments since her allegations came to light, “his words wouldn’t matter if his actions had measured up.”
“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,” said Higgins in her address.
While Higgins distanced herself from the question of supporting either political party in the upcoming federal election, Tame offered a wink in the direction of Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese — who attended NPC while Morrison was absent.
As for if Tame ever intends on entering politics, her position remains unchanged in that she believes she will be able to achieve more outside of the walls of Parliament House than within it. She is currently doing philanthropic work on the issue through The Grace Tame Foundation.