Grace Tame, the children's safety campaigner and former Australian of the Year, has been told she must identify the person who allegedly made a threatening phone call to her if she wants any action taken. The call, which Tame claims occurred in August 2021, reportedly came from a senior member of a government-funded organisation and urged her not to criticise Prime Minister Scott Morrison ahead of the election.
In a speech at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Tame described the call as 'threatening' and said it reminded her of threats from her abuser, a 58-year-old maths teacher who raped her when she was 15. The Morrison Government has called for the mystery caller to come forward and apologise, but insists it cannot act without Tame naming them.
Families Minister Anne Ruston, who attended Tame's speech, said it was up to Tame to decide whether to take the matter further. 'If she does, of course we will be happy to make sure we get to the bottom of the issue,' Ruston told ABC Radio. She added that the call 'shouldn't have happened' and that the government and the Australia Day Council had no prior knowledge of the allegation.
The National Australia Day Council (NADC), a government-funded body, denied any threatening behaviour. A spokesman said the NADC had spoken to personnel who had conversations with Tame, none of which were considered threatening. The council has contacted Tame and her management for specifics about the August 17 conversation.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced an investigation into the call, prompting Tame to criticise him on Twitter. She wrote that the investigation itself was part of the 'embedded structural silencing culture' that led to the call. The Prime Minister's Office stated that Morrison had not authorised such actions and had treated Tame with 'dignity and respect', adding that the unnamed individual should apologise.
