Australian television host Karl Stefanovic has criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's apology for remarks made on the "Bush Deep" podcast, questioning the prioritization of the apology over policy decisions.
Albanese issued an apology on Monday following his appearance on the podcast last week, where he participated in a "shag, marry, date" game involving celebrities. He was asked to choose between Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman, and Rhonda Burchmore. After noting his marriage, Albanese selected Minogue, and when prompted about whether he would "marry Kylie and shag her and date her," he responded, "All of the above."
Stefanovic argued that Albanese's decision to apologize for these comments was inconsistent, contrasting it with his perceived lack of apology for controversial policies, such as changes to negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount in the Federal Budget. "It's strange to prioritise apologising for that and not for one of the most publicly despised Budgets of all time," Stefanovic said on Wednesday. "Priorities, priorities. Let's keep our position for once."
Stefanovic also suggested that a more severe backlash would have occurred if a politician from the right of the political spectrum had made similar remarks. "Well, he later apologised, but I mean, can you imagine if someone from the right said that? All hell would break loose," he stated, adding that supporters on the left had defended Albanese's comments.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologised after taking part in a 'shag, marry, date' game during a podcast interview
Critics in Canberra have also voiced their disapproval. Independent Fowler MP Dai Le described Albanese's remarks as "unbecoming of a gentleman" and suggested it was an attempt to appeal to a younger audience. Community Strong MP Zali Steggall called the response to the question "entirely inappropriate" and urged the Prime Minister to "learn to push back, lead by example and call it out as sexist."
One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce commented that the remarks were "a bit below him," stating that he would have "avoided the question, like most people."
During the podcast, Albanese also made comments about receiving two luxury Japanese melons from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, which were later described by host Nikki Osborne with a reference to Pamela Anderson. Albanese repeated "She brought two!" in response to the gift.
Karl Stefanovic (pictured) took aim at the Prime Minister after he apologised for the podcast appearance but not for policies in his Federal Budget
Albanese made the remarks during an appearance on the Bush Deep podcast hosted by Nikki Osborne