Scott Morrison offers Grace Tame ‘open invitation’ to name source of threatening call

Scott Morrison has extended an olive branch to Grace Tame after an investigation was launched over her bombshell ‘threatening’ call claims.

An open invitation has been extended to Grace Tame for her to advise which government funded agency was the source of a “threatening” call begging her not to embarrass Scott Morrison close to the election.

The former Australian of the Year has criticised the federal government for launching an investigation into the matter, arguing her complaint was with the seemingly accepted culture of silencing government critics, not the specific individual behind the call.

However when Labor asked the Prime Minister during Question Time if the findings of any investigation would ultimately be made public, Mr Morrison renewed his offer to pursue the source if Ms Tame wanted to.

“While (Ms Tame) has declined to name the individual, I would at least invite her to advise the government which government funded agency she is referring to,” Mr Morrison said.

“The Australia Day Council has issued a statement saying they had no knowledge of any such interaction, and would be pleased to pursue the matter if we had some knowledge of even the agency that has been referred to.”

Mr Morrison reiterated he had not and “would not” authorise any threatening call to Ms Tame and said he had at all times sought to treat her “with dignity and respect”.

“The first I became aware of that allegation was during the Press Club address when it was delivered,” he said.

“Ms Tame should always be free to speak her mind and conduct herself as she chooses.

“I have made no criticism of her, her statements or her actions.”

Mr Morrison said he considered the actions and the statements of the individual to be “absolutely unacceptable,” but inquiries could only be made if it was known where to direct them.

“If anyone has any information on that, then I would encourage them to bring it forward so the matter can be properly addressed,” he said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives in Parliament House Canberra. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gary Ramage

On Wednesday night, Ms Tame unleashed on Mr Morrison on Twitter over his response to claims she received a “threatening” call about the PM.

She revealed she received a “threatening” phone call from a “senior member of a federal government organisation” begging her not to say anything “damning” about Scott Morrison close to the election.

Following the revelation in her speech to the National Press Club, the government announced it was investigating Ms Tame’s claim she received a phone call last year asking her not to say anything negative about Mr Morrison at the next Australian of the Year awards.

But it appears Ms Tame is less than impressed by the government’s move to investigate her claims, saying the move “misses the point entirely”.

“Scott conducting an investigation into who made the phone call is THE VERY SAME embedded structural silencing culture that drove the call in the first place and misses the point entirely,” she tweeted.

“Stop deflecting, Scott. It’s not about the person who made the call. It’s the fact they felt like they had to do it.”

Scott conducting an investigation into who made the phone call is THE VERY SAME embedded structural silencing culture that drove the call in the first place and misses the point entirely

— Grace Tame (@TamePunk) February 9, 2022

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s office said Mr Morrison said had no knowledge of the phone call before Ms Tame’s speech and called for the person who made it to apologise.

“The first the PM or PMO became aware of that allegation was during today’s Press Club speeches,” Mr Morrison’s office said.

“The PM has not and would not authorise such actions and at all times has sought to treat Ms Tame with dignity and respect.”

Ms TAME’S RAPIST KEPT HER HAIR

These are the most explosive moments of Ms Tame and and ex Liberal staffer Brittany Higgin’s speeches to the National Press Club on Wednesday.

Ms Tame has revealed that the paedophile who repeatedly raped her when she was in high school kept an envelope of her hair.

Ms Tame was groomed when she was 15 and repeatedly sexually abused by her 58-year-old teacher Nicholaas Bester.

“Along with 28 multimedia files of child abuse material, which included nine files of videos of adults penetrating children, the police found a trophy file of students both in uniform and topless on his computer,” she said.

“All of whom either came from broken homes like me or lived in at the boarding house away from their families

“And among the items that were assumed to be mine that were given back to me after the investigation was an envelope full of my own hair.”

Grace Tame spoke about trolling she suffered online. Picture: ABC

THE REACTON SHE STILL GETS

“Why, just the other day, someone online called me a horrible, horrible person who aggressively pursued her teacher and then blamed everyone else,” Ms Tame said.

Ms Tame said she had spoken to others he had taken advantage of.

“I have lost count of how many times I have had to say this now, but the man who abused me was that my high school from 1992 until I reported him in 2011 - his first successful target was in 1993.”

Ms HIGGINS FEARS MOMENT MAY BE LOST

Ms Higgins said she was fearful the “national moment of reckoning,” sparked almost a year ago when she came forward to publicly allege she had been raped in parliament, was slipping away.

The man charged over the incident has pleaded not guilty.

“Nearly a year after the March4Justice made its way to the threshold of federal parliament, too little has changed,” she said.

“I stand here today fearful that this moment of transformative potential, the bravery of all those women who spoke up and stood up and said, ‘enough is enough’ is in danger of being minimised to a flare-up, a blip on the radar.”

Ms Tame and Ms Higgins at the National Press Club Picture: NCA Newswire/Gary Ramage

PM ‘SHOCKING...AND OFFENSIVE’

Ms Higgins was critical of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, saying much of his language when talking about the treatment of women in parliament, including her own experience, was “shocking and at times … a bit offensive”.

“But his words wouldn’t matter if his actions had measured up,” she said. “Then, or since.

“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 (alleged) 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.”

Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame spoke at the National Press Club in Canberra. Picture: NCA Newswire/Gary Ramage

WHAT THE PM NEEDS TO DO

Ms Higgins said she wanted Mr Morrison to “wield the weight of his office and drive change in the (Liberal) party and our parliament and out into the country”.

“One year later, I don’t care if the government has improved the way that they talk about these issues,” she said. “I’m not interested in words anymore. I want to see action.”