Victoria
Anthony Albanese denies knowing about podcast game
The Prime Minister has also defended gestures he made while describing a diplomatic gift of melons from the Japanese leader.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has denied any prior knowledge of a "shag, marry, date" game played on a podcast, according to reporting by wire services. The Prime Minister addressed the matter publicly, distancing himself from the online segment.
Specific details regarding which podcast hosted the game, or the exact context in which the Prime Minister was mentioned, have not been disclosed in the initial reports. It remains unconfirmed when the podcast episode was recorded or who the hosts of the program were.
During the same media appearance, Mr Albanese also doubled down on his defence of physical gestures he made during a separate conversation. Those gestures were made while the Prime Minister was speaking about a pair of melons presented to him as a diplomatic gift by the Japanese Prime Minister.
The hand gestures have attracted public attention, though the exact setting of the original discussion and the specific physical movements used by Mr Albanese have not been detailed in the reports. The Prime Minister maintained that his actions were appropriate and simply described the fruit he had received.
The exchange of high-value fruit is a traditional diplomatic gesture in Japan, but further details about the meeting between Mr Albanese and his Japanese counterpart, including the specific date of the gift exchange, remain unspecified.
At this stage, the Prime Minister's office has not released any further official statements clarifying either the podcast issue or the melon discussion.
Observers will be watching to see if the opposition seeks to raise either matter during the next parliamentary question time.
This report draws on original reporting by Wire report.
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