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Podcast apology sparks backlash
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologised “unequivocally” after comments made on the Bush Deep podcast with comedian Nikki Osborne, where he played a “shag, marry, date” game involving Kylie Minogue.
“A podcast game with provocative questions puts Australia's prime minister in a bind: Anthony Albanese opens himself up to intimate assessments about prominent Australian women and his private life – and triggers sharp criticism”
In the episode released late last week, Osborne asked Albanese to place Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore into the game, and Albanese replied “Kylie, clearly.”
Osborne then asked, “You’d marry Kylie, and shag her, and date her?”, and Albanese answered “all of the above”, adding “She’s terrific.”
On Monday morning, Albanese’s office released a one-line statement saying: “I apologise unequivocally for the comments.”
Critics cite sexism, defenders reply
The backlash included criticism from politicians including independent Zali Steggall and Liberal shadow minister Sarah Henderson, with the Australian newspaper reporting Steggall said it was “entirely inappropriate for the prime minister to participate in such a game”.
Henderson reportedly said Albanese’s remarks were “disrespectful to women, embarrassing to Australians, and demean the office of Prime Minister”.
Labour minister Tanya Plibersek defended Albanese’s record on gender equality, saying: “if what the prime minister is saying is he’s a fan of Kylie Minogue, I guess that puts him in a group with millions of other Australians, including me.”
Acting prime minister Richard Marles defended the appearance by telling Radio National: “The prime minister has apologised unequivocally, so that’s the first point to make,” while also saying the government is the “first government in our nation’s history” to have equality in cabinet numbers of men and women.
Travel and political fallout
The Guardian reported Albanese was in Fiji on Monday for a leader’s meeting with Fiji’s prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, and was due to travel to Solomon Islands this week to meet that country’s leader.
Albanese was also due to return to Brisbane to host the leaders of Tonga and Papua New Guinea at the rugby league State of Origin decider, as the podcast controversy continued to draw responses from politicians.
In the same coverage, the acting prime minister Richard Marles framed the apology as the “first point to make” and described the interview as “a different” kind of conversation than ones politicians normally have.
The Daily Telegraph also described Albanese’s response as an unequivocal apology after the Kylie Minogue remarks drew condemnation “from across the political spectrum,” as the controversy remained tied to his “Bush Deep” appearance.
