Grace Tame at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Grace Tame at the National Press Club in Canberra, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Australians have rallied to the defence of Grace Tame after a news outlet published an old photo of her as a 19-year-old sitting next to a large bong.
The former Australian of the Year and childhood sexual abuse survivor was pictured in an Instagram photo from 2014 sitting on a couch with a water pipe used for smoking marijuana, as a friend next to her appears to be rolling a joint.
The Herald has chosen not to publish the image.
After news outlet The Daily Mail published the now-deleted photo on Monday – which it said had been "unearthed" by her "critics" who had delved into her Instagram timeline, in the wake of the Prime Minister's wife Jenny Morrison's criticism of her manners on 60 Minutes – celebrities, comedians, journalists, musicians and politicians voiced their support.
One Twitter user asked: "But did she s**t herself at Macca's after the '97 NRL GF?", a reference to the viral rumour that Scott Morrison "soiled himself at Engadine McDonald's" – which the PM has described as "the biggest load of rubbish".
In her only direct comment about the photo so far, Tame replied: "Quite possibly, I would've been two years old. I s**t myself a lot back then."
Quite possibly, I would’ve been 2 years old. I shit myself a lot back then. https://t.co/PaF3fF0gIX
She has "liked" a large number of tweets coming to her defence, including one suggesting she may take legal action.
Tame then liked a tweet from another user in response which said: "How did the Daily Mail get the photo? I've seen tweets saying it came from @TamePunk Instagram. If that's true, then Grace Tame (and/or the photographer) are the copyright holder(s). Be a shame if the Mail got sued."
So, we are now at the stage of publishing photos of public figures in the proximity of a bong when they were 19 years old?
A number of politicians from both sides of the aisle also voiced their support.
Liberal MP Dave Sharma wrote: "I am sure there is a photo of me like that. I don't think this stuff is remotely in the public interest."
Darcy Byrne, mayor of Sydney's Inner West Council, wrote: "Putting out photos of the much respected former Australian of the Year partying as a youth is beyond pathetic. Grace Tame's manners are fine, it's the politicians scraping the bottom of the barrel that need to learn about respect."
Port Phillip deputy mayor Tim Baxter tweeted: "I'm the Deputy Mayor and I smoked bongs as a teenager. And I've still never been as cool as Grace Tame."
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's son Alex Turnbull also weighed in.
"Going after Grace Tame for drug use is extremely risky for any LNP members under 40 especially some people in the House and Senate. I'll leave it at that. Don't start stuff you can't finish."
