Relatable or risky? The PM’s podcast problem
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
We're at Rapid Fire Questions. Now, every guest gets asked these. Shag, marry, date. Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman or Rhonda Birchmall?
I've just got married. I'm only six months in.
Anthony Albanese has, with growing confidence, spent years trying to convince voters he's relatable.
But if it goes tits up, let's just pretend. Oh.
Kylie, clearly.
How did Anthony Albanese's appearance on a comedy podcast trigger a political apology?
But this week, that confidence carried him somewhere the office of Prime Minister probably shouldn't go.
You'd marry Kylie and Shagga and Data?
All of the above.
All right, it's a triple.
She's terrific. The apology came quickly. Then as the Prime Minister turned to rugby league diplomacy in the Pacific, China tested a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. It was a week that moved swiftly from political embarrassment to regional unease and left Labor managing the Prime Minister's image at home and Australia's influence abroad. I'm Daniel Jaynes and you're listening to 7am. 7am. Today, Press Gallery veteran Paul Bongiorno on a turbulent week for Anthony Albanese marked with missteps, a communication breakdown and a focus on Pacific diplomacy in tumultuous geopolitical waters.
It's Saturday, July 11th. Paul, the PM started the week with an apology after some unfortunate comments on a comedy podcast. That's a rookie error, isn't it? I mean, surely it's beyond the office of the PM. I mean, you don't eat an onion on camera. We all know this by now. But you also don't play shag, marry, date, do you?
Well, you certainly don't. I mean, I really agree.
I never thought I'd ask you a question like that.
Well, exactly. I mean, Albanese prides himself on being able to be a relatable person talking to people off the piste, as it were. But to assume the persona of a sort of a Benny Hill smut comedian talking to Nikki Osbourne, who, by the way, calls herself Bushy and her podcast is called Bush Deep. which is a, you know, it's a sexual pun. And his previous videos have had millions of views. So we all know sex sells. But is this really the message that the Prime Minister of Australia wants? It's not only beneath the Prime Minister. You'd think it's beneath any decent person, frankly.
This isn't the first time an interview like this has gone wrong for the Prime Minister. Earlier this year, there was a run-in with an FM radio host over the possibility of a Royal Commission into femicide. There's calls for a Royal Commission about everything.
Well, I think deaths of women are pretty paramount, wouldn't you say?
Yeah, there are, but you've got to work out what does a Royal Commission do besides fund lawyers? Do missteps like these leave him open to criticism for having a woman problem?
Well, look, it's a bit mystifying because as his defenders, I mean, the acting Prime Minister, Miles and Tanya Plibersek. By the way, Plibersek wasn't told that Albanese had put out an apology for his remarks in regard to shagging Kylie Minogue. But they were able to point to the record of the Albanese government.
Should the Prime Minister nip it in the bud and apologise?
Well, I haven't listened to the whole of the podcast. I just heard that excerpt that you played then. But what I'd say on women's equality in this country is that no government's been better for it.
It has the biggest representation of women, not only on its backbench, but half of the cabinet is women. It's done more for gender equity and pay equity than any other government, which makes it all the more mystifying why you'd want to send out an image that runs counter to that sensibility.
I mean, I guess you can see why Albo does want to do these less serious interviews. I mean, we're talking, always talking about our politicians wanting them to be more real, more relatable. But do you think that it's worth the risk for the PM?
Well, my view would be that he and his staff should vet these podcasts. You know, who's doing them? Why are they doing them? And what are the risks? I mean, even Nikki Osborne herself said that the Prime Minister took a big risk but gave her comedy Well, certainly good publicity at the very least.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:20
2
How did Anthony Albanese's appearance on a comedy podcast trigger a political apology?
0:20–6:05
3
Why do critics say 'shag, marry, date' is beyond the office of the Prime Minister?
6:05–13:26
4
How have previous media missteps shaped perceptions of Albanese on gender issues?
13:26–14:48
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from 7am
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