Australian PM Anthony Albanese caught on hot-mic making crude joke with minister at COP31

Detailed summary

A spokesperson for the prime minister says the two men ‘were having a joke in between meetings’

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Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese has been caught making a crude joke about genitalia with his climate minister in a hot-mic exchange at the COP31 climate summit in Türkiye.

Mr Albanese was chatting with Chris Bowen, Australia’s minister for climate change and energy, before a business roundtable in Antalya on Friday when their conversation was picked up by a television microphone. The event was set to discuss investment opportunities in Australia’s renewable energy transition.

In the clip, Mr Albanese puts his phone in his jacket pocket and advises Mr Bowen not to keep his own near his heart, warning that it could interfere with his rhythm.

Mr Bowen jokes that he is more concerned about keeping his phone out of his trouser pocket.

“Because of my d**k. That’s rather important, arguably more important than the heart,” Mr Bowen replies, as the pair laugh.

A spokesperson for Mr Albanese told AFP that the two men “were having a joke in between meetings”.

Environment Minister Murray Watt also played down the exchange when asked about it at a press conference in Brisbane on Saturday. “This is really just about people having a joke,” he told reporters, according to the Australian Associated Press.

Earlier this year, Mr Albanese faced criticism after appearing on the Deep Bush podcast, hosted by comedian Nikki Osborne. During the episode, Mr Albanese took part in a game of “shag, marry, date” and said he would “shag” Australian singer Kylie Minogue.

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