Australia's prime minister has apologised for calling a former Australian of the Year and sexual abuse survivor "difficult", saying it was only in reference to the hardships she has faced.

During a one-word response game, Anthony Albanese used the adjective to describe Grace Tame, who was named the 2021 Australian of the Year for her advocacy for child sexual abuse survivors.

Tame, 31, said the description was "misogynist's code for a woman who won't comply.

History tends to call her 'courageous'. "

It prompted Albanese to apologise "if there was any misinterpretation" and that Tame "has had a very difficult life, but she deserves great credit for turning that into a benefit for others".

But hours later, Tame dismissed Albanese's apology, taking to Instagram to post: "Spare me the condescension, old man.

We all know what you meant. "

"Labelling women as difficult won't silence us.

It won't stop us speaking truth to power.

Next time try 'unbreakable' or 'warrior' or 'fierce', Prime Minister," she wrote.

On Wednesday, other answers that Albanese gave during the rapid-response quiz included "president" for Donald Trump, , "leader" for the new head of the opposition coalition Angus Taylor and "divisive" for Pauline Hanson, leader of anti-immigration party One Nation.

When asked for a response to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, he said "grub" which drew applause from the audience.

Tame was awarded Australian of the Year in recognition of her tireless efforts to overturn laws in the state of Tasmania that made it illegal for victims of sexual abuse to speak publicly about their experiences.

From the age of 15, Tame was groomed and raped by her 58-year-old maths teacher Nicolaas Ockert Bester.

He was later found guilty and served one year and nine months in jail for sexually abusing Tame when she was his student in 2011.

In 2022, videos and images of Tame refusing to smile at an official event with the then-prime minister Scott Morrison went viral.

She had been openly critical about Morrison over his government's response to sexual assault allegations and a toxic workplace culture in parliament in the wake of political staffer Brittany Higgins' allegation that she was raped in her boss's office in 2019.

Tame recently drew criticism after she spoke at a pro-Palestine rally this month and used the phrase "globalise the intifada".

The phrase is currently under consideration to be banned as part of new laws cracking down on "hateful" slogans after the Bondi Beach shootings.

The term intifada came into popular use during the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in 1987.

Some have described the term as a call for violence against Jewish people.

Others have said it is a call for peaceful resistance to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and actions in Gaza

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