Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame has broken the silence on her awkward photo-op with Scott Morrison.
The series of images taken of the frosty meeting went viral last week.
Tame was attending a meeting for 2022 Australian of the Year finalists, and appeared visibly unimpressed whilst standing next to the Prime Minister.
Read more: Australian of the Year Grace Tame gives frosty greeting to PM
She is a child sexual assault survivor, and became Australian of the Year for helping spark a national conversation about the rights of survivors of sexual assault. She has been a vocal critic of Morrison, and his handling of allegations of abuse in the parliamentary system.
This afternoon, she said the survival of abuse culture is "dependent on submissive smiles" and "hypocrisy".
"What I did wasn’t an act of martyrdom in the gender culture war," she tweeted.
"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."
Last week, Scott Morrison brushed aside the awkward encounter.
“When Jenny and I invite someone to our home, we greet them with a smile and they’re always welcome, and that day was actually about all the finalists we came to celebrate,” Morrison told radio station 4BC on Friday.
“I haven’t raised any issues about (the incident) – all I’m saying is we were there that day to celebrate those who had done an incredible job for our country.”
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