Australia's prime minister is backtracking after a single word set off a political firestorm. Asked to sum up sexual abuse survivor and former Australian of the Year Grace Tame in one word during a rapid-fire quiz, Anthony Albanese chose "difficult." Tame, who was raped by her math teacher at 15 before becoming an advocate, fired back on social media, calling the label "misogynist's code for a woman who won't comply" and adding that "history tends to call her 'courageous,'" per the BBC. Albanese later expressed regret "if there was any misinterpretation," saying he meant Tame had endured a "very difficult life" and praising her advocacy—but she rejected the apology as condescending, per ABC Australia.
The remark drew criticism from the Greens leader, Sen. Larissa Waters, who said the description was "completely unwarranted" and suggested alternatives like "unbreakable" or "warrior." Tame, celebrated for helping overturn Tasmanian gag laws that silenced abuse survivors, has long been a prominent and polarizing figure, from her stony reception of then-PM Scott Morrison in 2022, to her wearing a shirt with an expletive on it to a meeting with Albanese last year, to recent backlash over using the phrase "globalise the intifada," which the government is considering banning, at a pro-Palestinian rally. Another of Albanese's rapid-fire responses drew applause from audience members. Asked for a word to describe Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, he responded with "grub."
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