Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has used a visit to a specialist women’s health clinic in Melbourne’s west to champion what he described as the largest women’s health program ever delivered by a federal government, while also addressing controversy over comments about former Australian of the Year Grace Tame.
Speaking in Werribee on Thursday, the Prime Minister toured the Endo and Pelvic Pain Clinic, highlighting reforms aimed at improving reproductive health care and expanding access to new contraceptives.
“It’s been fantastic to engage here … This is making an enormous difference to the lives of women.”
He pointed to the case of a young woman who had endured endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain each month before receiving specialised care at the clinic.
“As Alana said, she wishes that this was available earlier,” he said, adding that the reforms were delivering “practical care” and tangible outcomes for women across Australia.
PM Albanese was also pressed on whether he regretted previously describing Tame as “difficult”.
He said the remark had been made during a forum where he was asked to describe public figures in one word, and insisted it had been misconstrued.
“Grace Tame, you certainly can’t describe in one word,” he said.
“She has had a difficult life and that was what I was referring to.”
Tame, a prominent advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, was named Australian of the Year in recognition of her advocacy work.
The Prime Minister said that if his comments had been misinterpreted, he apologised.
“She deserves great credit for turning that into a benefit for others,” he said, while noting he had disagreed with language she used at a public demonstration in Sydney.
The Prime Minister was also questioned about reports of two additional Australian women linked to ISIS being held in al-Roj camp in northern Syria.
PM Albanese declined to comment on specific national security matters but reiterated the government’s position against repatriating Australians who had travelled to join the terror group.
“We’ve said that what we aren’t doing is providing repatriation of these people.”
He added that while the government had compassion for children in such camps, adults who chose to travel to the region had made decisions “contrary to Australia’s national interest”.
Asked whether Australia would consider accepting children if the United States offered to facilitate their transfer, PM Albanese ruled out engaging in hypotheticals.
“We have no plans to do so,” he said, noting the government had successfully opposed a court challenge seeking to compel repatriation.
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