Grace Tame breaks silence on PM photo and explains what led to tense Morrison meeting

In her first comments since her tense meeting with Scott Morrison, Grace Tame has explained why she acted the way she did.

Grace Tame has responded to the controversy over her unsmiling photo with Prime Minister Scott Morrison by saying “abuse culture” is dependent on “submissive smiles self defeating surrenders”.

Tame said the survival of abuse culture relied on hypocrisy and denied she was a martyr for her stance when she appeared alongside Mr Morrison at an Australian Of the Year event at The Lodge.

The abuse survivor repeatedly criticised Mr Morrison for his stance on women’s safety issues in the lead-up to their meeting, where she did not make eye contact, and had her hand in her pocket as she quickly shook his hand, before glancing away.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Grace Tame in the photo that quickly went viral. Picture: Gary Ramage

“My past is only relevant to the extent that I have seen—in fact I have worn—the consequences of civility for the sake of civility,” Tame tweeted on Wednesday morning.

The 27-year-old broke her silence on the issue that divided Australia by addressing the controversy for the first time and explaining her motivation. She said it was not just women who were compelled to act in a certain way.

“What I did wasn’t an act of martyrdom in the gender culture war. It’s true that many women are sick of being told to smile, often by men, for the benefit of men. But it’s not just women who are conditioned to smile and conform to the visibly rotting status-quo. It’s all of us,” she said.

Asked about the incident last week, Mr Morrison said Ms Tame had “a terrible life … ordeal” but that he would always greet guests with a smile.

Ms Tame and the PM during the tense meeting. Picture: Gary Ramage

During an interview on 4BC, Mr Morrison was asked: “Did yourself and your wife Jenny feel disrespected?”

He did not deny he felt disrespected but noted he had greeted Ms Tame with civility.

“I’ve seen all of that. Anyone comes to our home, when we invite somebody, we greet them with a smile, and they’re always welcome,’’ Mr Morrison said.

The focus of the day was supposed to be about this year’s finalists, not Ms Tame, he said.

“And that day, that day was actually about all the finalists coming to celebrate. And the previous Australians of the Year were there.

“Jenny and I were there and that day was all about them.

“All I’m saying is we were there that day to celebrate those who’ve done an incredible job for our country. And Jenny and I wanted to welcome them into our home and wish them all the best.”

Originally published as Grace Tame breaks silence on PM photo and explains what led to tense Morrison meeting