Grace Tame has hit back at Prime Minster Anthony Albanese — telling him  “spare me, old man” — after his “condescending” apology for describing her as “difficult”.

Albanese on Thursday apologised for any “misinterpretation” of the word he chose to describe her during a word-association game at a News Corp forum on Wednesday night in Melbourne.

When the host said “Oscar Piastri”, Albanese responded “winner”. On One Nations voters Albanese said “Frustrated”, Pauline Hanson was “divisive” and Australia Day was “great”.

“Grace Tame?” he was asked.

There was a heavy pause before Albanese responded: “Umm, difficult.”

On Thursday, Albanese sought to clarify what he meant when he chose that word to sum up the 31-year-old former Australian of the Year.

“Prime Minister, are all women difficult or is it just Grace Tame? Do you regret calling her difficult?” a reporter asked.

Albanese responded: “I was asked to describe people in one word and Grace Tame you certainly can’t describe in one word. She has had a difficult life, and that was what I was referring to.”

“If there was any misinterpretation, then I certainly apologise. I think that Grace Tame has taken what is personal trauma and that awful experience that she had and channelled that into helping, in particular, other young women, being a strong and powerful advocate, being quite courageous in the way that she has gone out there.”

He went further to say that he did not support Tame’s recent behaviour at the anti-Herzog protests in Sydney where she was filmed leading intifada chants.

“Now there are other issues, such as the language that Grace Tame used, that I disagree with, at the demonstration that was held in Sydney,” Albanese said.

“That’s why it’s impossible to describe people in one word.”

Tame fired back later on social media, commenting online: “Dude’s quoting Scott [Morrison] now!!! ‘She’s had a difficult life.’

“Spare me the condescension, old man.”

Tame stated: “We all know what you meant.”

Grace Tame lumps Anthony Albanese in with Scott Morrison. Photo: Instagram

In another post to Instagram, likening Albanese to former prime minister Scott Morrison, she said: “Both men, when called out for their behaviour towards me, have used “she’s had a difficult life” as a condescending justification.

“Get some new material boys!!!”

Earlier on Thursday she shared a number of other people’s posts on Instagram.

“Difficult” is the misogynist’s code for a woman who won’t comply.
History tends to call her “courageous,” said one post against a photo of Tame wearing a party wig and hugging a friend.

Tame shared Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi’s photo of the pair at the anti-Herzog protest.

“From one “difficult” woman to another, any thorn in Albanese’s side is a friend of mine,” said Faruqi’s post.

Grace Tame shared a number of posts to social media. Photo: Instagram

A third post stated that “[Grace Tame] is so difficult, she is more powerful than the opposition.”

Greens Leader Larissa Waters suggested on X that Albanese should have tried “unbreakable” or “warrior” or “fierce” to label Tame.