The Opposition has called for Anthony Albanese to apologise to Japan’s first female prime minister after he made a ‘melons’ joke on a podcast.
Albanese has faced a wave of criticism following his appearance on the Bush Deep podcast with host Nikki Osborne.
He was forced to to apologise on Monday morning over his answers to a game of ‘shag, marry or date’ in which he answered Kylie Minogue for all three.
Opposition communications spokeswoman Sarah Henderson highlighted another segment in which Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was ‘caught up in his crude locker room talk’.
In the episode, published last Friday, Albanese recalled being given a ‘royal melon’ by Takaichi during her first Australian visit in May.
Albanese was given two Shizuoka-grown melons to symbolise the lifting of restrictions on Japanese melon imports.
Ms Osbourne questioned whether the melons were ‘smuggled’ into Australia, to which Albanese joked the Japanese leader has ‘got a couple of melons’ and made hand gestures.
‘She brought two, as you do … and they’re beautiful,’ Albanese said, as Ms Osbourne joked the Japanese leader was ‘looking like Pamela Anderson’.
Henderson called for Albanese to apologise to Takaichi for the comment.
The Opposition has called for Anthony Albanese (right) to apologise to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left)
Albanese (above) appeared on a podcast and joked about Takaichi’s gift of two ‘melons’ during her visit in May
Political figures and commentators widely panned the PM’s previous comments on the podcast, with Liberal frontbenchers including Andrew Bragg and One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce suggesting it was ‘beneath his office’.
The game that landed him in hot water involved a multiple choice of Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore, with the Australian Prime Minister asked which celebrity he would sleep with, marry or date.
Responding to the question, the Prime Minister said: ‘I’ve just got married. I’m only six months in.’
‘But if it goes tits up?’ Osborne hit back.
‘Kylie, clearly,’ he replied.
‘You’d marry Kylie? And shag her? And date her?’ questioned Osborne.
‘All of the above,’ replied Albanese. ‘She’s terrific.’
The remarks drew criticism, with some colleagues accusing the Prime Minister of resorting to ‘locker-room antics’.
Albanese, who is currently in Fiji to sign a new treaty with the Pacific nation, apologised on Monday morning in a brief statement.
‘I apologise unequivocally for the comments,’ it read.
