Australian Activist Slammed For Criticising PM
Canberra, Feb 9: Australian activist and advocate for survivors of sexual assault Grace Tame said on Wednesday she had received a threatening call, demanding she stopped publicly criticising Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for handling abuse and harassment issues faced by the Australian women.
Speaking at the National Press Club of Australia alongside sexual assault victim Brittany Higgins, Tame said that in August 2021 an employee of an unnamed government-funded organisation allegedly called her and asked her to refrain from saying anything “damning” about Morrison, adding that Tame would lose her job if “anyone hears about that.” 9News broadcaster reported that an hour after Tame’s statement, Women’s Safety Minister Anne Ruston announced the launch of an investigation.
“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. 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,” Tame said on Twitter.
The Prime Minister’s spokesperson said that such calls to Tame would be “unacceptable” and called for an apology. Alleged harassment and abuse of women has produced multiple inquiries into Australian politicians in recent years. In 2018, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull banned sexual relationships between ministers and their staffers.
Late in November 2021, Australian Human Rights Commission said in a report that one in three people, or 33 per cent of employees, working in the Australian Parliament has experienced sexual harassment at work. According to the document, 51 per cent of parliamentary employees have experienced bullying and sexual harassment, and attempted or actual rape at least once. Only 11 per cent of those who experienced sexual harassment filed complaints. The rest of the victims remained silent out of fear of losing their jobs.
