Grace Tame Says Aussie Women Are 'Sick Of Being Told To Smile'

Grace Tame has finally opened up about that awkward encounter she had with Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The former Australian of the Year went viral for her emotionless greeting with the country's leader and her smile-less face when she posed for a photo op.

Some called her a legend for refusing to suck up to the PM while others called her childish and disrespectful.

She's now spoken about the backlash she copped after footage of the meeting was posted on social media and says the criticism is a symptom of systemic societal issues that affect women across Australia.

"The survival of abuse culture is dependent on submissive smiles and self-defeating surrenders. It is dependent on hypocrisy," she said on Twitter.

"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.

"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."

She said 'it's not just women who are conditioned to smile and conform to the visibly rotting status-quo', adding: "It's all of us."

Ms Tame and her fiancé were invited to Canberra on January 25 to ceremonially hand over her title to the 2022 recipient and meet the candidates for other awards and honours.

Scott Morrison was asked about his reaction to the whole fiasco and cleared up how he felt when he saw the photos.

"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 on 4BC radio station.

The Prime Minister said it was probably a little distasteful for her to indirectly pull all the focus from a nice event.

"That day was actually about all the finalists coming to celebrate,'' he said. "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.

"Look, Grace is a passionate person who's raised important issues. She's had a terrible life, terrible things happened to her.

"It's just awful. And I know a lot of Australians, me included, and I support her efforts to ensure that these issues can be raised and addressed."