Peter van Onselen has been brutally skewered for criticising Grace Tame's attitude while meeting Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The 2021 Australian of the Year went viral yesterday (January 25) as she was invited to Canberra to ceremonially hand over her honour to this year's recipient, who was later revealed to be tennis icon Dylan Alcott.
As she arrived at The Lodge for morning tea, she was asked to pose for a photo with Mr Morrison and his wife Jenny.
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Instead of the usual smiles and pleasantries, Grace stood next to the Prime Minister without so much as a smirk. She didn't look him in the eye and exchanged as few words as possible with him.
After sparring with the federal government and its decisions last year, her mood was entirely understandable and encapsulated how many Australians feel about Mr Morrison and his way of running the country.
However, she also copped criticism from some who suggested her attitude was disrespectful.
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Peter van Onselen wrote in The Australian that she was 'childish' for not smiling in the photo op and said she should have just not gone to the ceremony if she wasn't going to play nice.
That take was slammed on social media and the journalist then copped a serious dressing down on Channel 10's The Project last night.
His co-host Carrie Bickmore launched into the topic by saying: "Why do you feel the need to tell Grace how she should have behaved?
"But second of all, why should she stand there and smile and pretend it's all okay when there is an absolute catastrophe on the cards here?"
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He hit back and said: "I don't think she should stand there and smile and pretend it's all OK, I just thought she shouldn't go. If you can't be polite in some form, then don't go."
But Carrie wasn't having it and said: "But why should she have to be silenced and quiet why can't she go and make a statement in her behaviour about how she feels over what has happened in the past year?"
She added: "In the article today you spoke about how she'd acted as a child, you know when she should have been able to act as a child?
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"When she was a child. But she was preyed upon by a man and lost part of herself in that. I'm unsure how that article today helps when I'm assuming, like the entire nation, you want violence against women and children to end?"
He tried to defend his article and his stance on the situation by saying: "I can see the good as well as the bad in the way that she has behaved".
"I've written a lot about these issues and I think she has achieved a lot. I don't agree with everything that she has done."
Featured Image Credit: Channel 10Topics: Australia
