Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is facing criticism from the Coalition for remarks made during a podcast appearance. Opposition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson accused Albanese of making 'disrespectful' comments about Japan's first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and suggested his statements had dragged women into 'crude locker room talk.'
The controversy stems from Albanese's appearance on Nova's Bush Deep podcast, where he discussed a gift of two Shizuoka-grown melons presented by Takaichi during her visit to Australia. The melons were a gesture to mark the reopening of Australia's market to Japanese melon imports.
During the podcast, host Nikki Osborne jokingly asked if Takaichi had 'smuggled' the melons, making a hand gesture and a reference to Pamela Anderson. Albanese responded by saying, 'Got a couple of melons,' and made a similar gesture. He described the melons as 'beautiful.'
Henderson urged Albanese to apologize to Takaichi and all women following the podcast, stating that his comments were inappropriate. This criticism follows previous backlash over Albanese's participation in a game of 'shag, marry, date' on the same podcast.
In that segment, Albanese was asked to choose between celebrities Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, and Rhonda Burchmore for a hypothetical scenario. He responded by stating he was 'only six months in' to his marriage but, when pressed about what he would do if his marriage 'goes tits up,' he chose Kylie Minogue, saying 'All of the above. She's terrific.' The conversation also touched upon his marital intimacy, with Albanese responding to a question about whether he and his wife were 'bonking like rabbits' by saying, 'Well, when we have time,' adding that 'After the footy. It's always a good aphrodisiac, a Souths win,' referencing his favorite NRL team.
Defense Minister Richard Marles and Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek defended Albanese, highlighting his record of supporting women. However, Community Strong MP Zali Steggall called his responses 'entirely inappropriate' and suggested he needed to 'push back, lead by example and call it out as sexist.' One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce commented that Albanese's remarks were 'a bit below him' and that he should have avoided such questions.
Albanese has since issued an apology for his comments.