Mary Aldred MP accuses PM of ‘foul-mouthed, classless comments about women’

MONASH MP Mary Aldred has weighed into the redeveloping ‘melon-gate’ controversy involving Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

In Federal Parliament yesterday, Tuesday, August 11, Ms Aldred had the gloves off during Question Time when she accused the PM of “a series of foul-mouthed, classless comments about women”.

“My question is to the Prime Minister. On the Bush Deep podcast, filmed at the Lodge, the Prime Minister made a series of foul-mouthed, classless comments about women. Will the Prime Minister personally apologise to the Prime Minister of Japan, Her Excellency Sanae Takaichi, for his disrespectful behaviour?”

The question follows official correspondence from Japan in which Mr Albanese cringe-worthy comments on the comic ‘Bush Deep’ podcast with Nikki Osborne last month are referenced.

In his answer, Mr Albanese didn’t directly reference the podcast, in which he also declared “all of the above” when asked if he would shag, date or marry either Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman or Rhonda Burchmore.

“Kylie clearly… she’s terrific,” he said at the time.

In answer to Ms Aldred’s question he said:

“I reject the assertion in the question. Australia and Japan have never been closer or more strategically aligned, and my government has taken our special strategic partnership to new heights. During the recent visit by Prime Minister Takaichi, we announced substantial outcomes, including a joint declaration on economic security cooperation, signalling our resolve to support each other in the face of economic coercion, including to consult each other on economic security contingencies.”

But Ms Aldred took another swipe at the PM with an additional question.

“My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister apologise to the Prime Minister of Japan for his disrespectful behaviour?

Prime Minister: “I have a very good relationship with the Prime Minister of Japan. We have met on the sidelines of various forums, and I have welcomed the Prime Minister of Japan here. That visit was a very successful visit. The relationship has meant that, with purchases such as the Mogami frigates in Defence, that is…”

However, after indications of a Point of Order being raised, Mr Albanese concluded his remarks.

There has been some conjecture about how to characterise the melon-gate part of the Bush Deep podcast as simply clumsy or downright disgusting.

Prime Minister Albanese was asked by Ms Osborne about “the most crap gift” he had ever received on one of his overseas jaunts.

“Oh gee, here’s something I got recently that was pretty strange bvut ended up being quite good… the Japanese Prime Minister brought me a melon… it’s a royal melon,” he said.

“Got a couple of melons,” he said, making a rounded hand gesture in front of his own chest, indicating two melons,

“She bought two?” asked Ms Osborne.

“She brought two, as you do,” said Mr Albanese.

Ms Osborne queried how she arrived with the melons, asking if she just came in “like Pamela Anderson”.

“She brought two, and they’re beautiful,” he said.

The Prime Minister has previously issued a statement about his remarks on the podcast.

The statement was released by the Prime Minister's Office in July and was described as "unequivocally" addressing the remarks.

How the attack on the Prime Minister by Ms Aldred will impact her representations to government on issues of importance to the people of Monash is unknown.