Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame is set to take a shock step after her charity faced a backlash from donors over the way it spends donations.
Ms Tame will step down from her role as Chief Executive, which she has held since the Grace Tame Foundation (GTF) was founded in 2022.
A statement from GTF issued Tuesday afternoon said she is “transitioning to an impact and advocacy-focused role within the foundation.”
At the heart of donors’ dissatisfaction is the claim that they were not told how their money would be spent.
The foundation says it works “with political and social leaders, and helps fund important organizations to advocate and drive meaningful change.”
Among her achievements in that area is a change in the wording of a serious child sexual abuse offence in South Australia.
Following a campaign led by Ms Tame, the name of the offence was changed from “unlawful sexual intercourse with a child” to “sexual abuse of a child”.
But then the foundation moved away from its original purpose and began funding counselling and legal fees for survivors of sexual abuse – services already offered by other, more established charities.
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame (pictured) is set to make a shock move after her charity faced a backlash from donors over the way it spends donations.
When a new charity director is found (a search likely to be led by GTF director Michael Salter), Ms Tame said she will focus on her “founding role and work alongside the new chief executive, board and team to deliver our goals”.
“My commitment to the success of the foundation continues, and this new role will align with my energy and skills to maximize my impact,” he said.
Some people who donated to the foundation were said to have been angry about the change in the way money was spent and the perceived lack of transparency.
In the 2022/2023 financial year, of the $250,000 raised in the period, around $170,000 was used to pay for advisory and legal costs.
The $107,000 spent on legal services went to Marque Lawyers, whose managing director, Michael Bradley, sits on the board of the Grace Tame Foundation. Australian reported.
Daily Mail Australia does not suggest there was any conflict of interest as to where the foundation’s legal fees were spent.
Mr Salter and Mr Bradley have been contacted for comment.
The 2021 Australian of the Year gained notoriety when she gave then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison a cold sidelong glance during morning tea for the 2022 Australian state and territory award recipients in Canberra.
Foundation director Michael Salter (pictured) is likely to take charge of recruitment, with a job advert due to be posted in the coming weeks.
Attorney Michael Bradley is pictured with Grace Tame. Ms Bradley sits on the board of the Grace Tame Foundation
The photos attracted national and international attention, with both praise and criticism showered on Ms Tame.
In an interview with former detective Gary Jubelin last August on his I Catch Killers podcast, Ms Tame said it was not about not smiling, it was about “not playing the game”.
“I think in general, and it’s not just about women… a lot of the responses I got were about women realizing they didn’t have to smile anymore,” she said.
“For me, that’s not what I thought. For me, it was about not playing the game, and especially in the context of the experiences I’d been through.”