Anthony Albanese has declined to assure parliament that his office or department are not suspects in the leak of private correspondence from the government of Japan regarding his \u201cmelons\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n
The Coalition has now referred the matter to the Australian Federal Police after several media outlets reported, but did not publish the contents of a letter from Japan to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.<\/p>\n
It follows a week of controversy over whether Mr Albanese engaged in crude jokes about the Japanese Prime Minister\u2019s \u201cmelons\u201d on a podcast while drinking whisky with a female comedian in a safari suit. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s the same podcast where, when asked if he would \u201cshag, marry or date\u201d pop star Kylie Minogue, he said \u201call of the above.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the 24 hours after the controversy reignited, a letter from Japan emerged in the media insisting Japan would not raise an official complaint and suggesting media \u201csensationalism\u201d was a factor.<\/p>\n
In parliament, Liberal frontbencher Ted O\u2019Brien asked the Prime Minister to rule out any involvement in the leak of the letter to the media.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan the Prime Minister assure the House that neither his office nor his department leaked official and private correspondence from the government of Japan, and what steps has he taken to satisfy himself that this is the case?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
In response, the Prime Minister pointedly did not offer any denial or answer the question.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thank the member for his question. We take our relationship seriously, including our obligations for engagement, including with Japan,\u201d the Prime Minister said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI note that in a political stunt from the opposition, they have they have referred matters to the AFP. The AFP is, of course, completely independent of the government, and they\u2019ll undertake their work, and I\u2019m confident about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Man up\u2019 <\/p>\n
Earlier, the Liberal leader Angus Taylor opened parliament with a question to the Prime Minister urging him to \u201cman up\u201d and apologise.<\/p>\n
\u201cMillions of Australians have now seen, with their own eyes, the prime minister\u2019s appalling behaviour on the Bush Deep podcast,\u2018\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow he embarrasses all of us by refusing to apologise to the Prime Minister of Japan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy won\u2019t the Prime Minister stop treating us like fools, man up, and say sorry to the Prime Minister of Japan?.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response, Mr Albanese stuck to the script and didn\u2019t engage with calls for an apology.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe take our relationships seriously, including our regular engagement with Japan,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Japan\u2019s letter<\/p>\n
Japan formally raised Anthony Albanese\u2019s appearance in a cringe-worthy podcast discussing the Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi\u2019s \u201cmelons\u201d in official correspondence.<\/p>\n
In the letter, Japan suggested the matter had been \u201csensationalised\u201d by the media and would not result in a complaint.<\/p>\n
Mr Albanese maintains he wasn\u2019t joking about the female prime minister\u2019s anatomy, despite the comedian referencing Pamela Anderson, a former Baywatch star and Playboy model.<\/p>\n
But diplomatic sources suggested the prime minister\u2019s comments, made while drinking Canadian whiskey with a comedian in a safari suit, were so embarrassing that both countries were at pains to defuse the matter.<\/p>\n
News.com.au understands that the opposition\u2019s foreign affairs spokesman Ted O\u2019Brien quietly met with the Japanese ambassador to Australia Kazuhiro Suzuki on Monday to express his \u201cdeep regret\u201d over the comments.<\/p>\n
He did not wish to elaborate on the private meeting other than to note that the \u201cdeep and enduring\u201d relationship is one of Australia\u2019s most important partnerships.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe prime minister\u2019s words were inappropriate and a national embarrassment,\u201d Mr O\u2019Brien said.<\/p>\n
In the correspondence between Japan and the prime minister\u2019s department, Japan also moved to clarify another \u201cjoke\u201d in the podcast that the Japanese prime minister had \u201csmuggled\u201d the melons into Australia insisting they were legally obtained here.<\/p>\n
In the diplomatic cable dated July 13, the Japanese government suggested there had been \u201csensationalised reporting in the Australian media\u201d.<\/p>\n
It then stated that Australia could be reassured that Japan did not believe there was any \u201cill intention\u201d in Mr Albanese\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n
The letter stressed there would be \u201cno action\u201d over the matter and that Japan would assist the Australian government in not making comment to \u201callow the Australian media to move on\u201d.<\/p>\n
But rather than being reassuring, one former top government official speaking on the condition of anonymity said it was all completely \u201cembarrassing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt best it\u2019s quite embarrassing to be in a position where a foreign embassy or department is officially sending such a message,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Japan having done so the Australian government is presumably now not only embarrassed at what our prime minister said but somewhat indebted to Japan for their generosity in giving it an official shoulder shrug.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another MP suggested Japan was at pains to help Australia defuse the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this was accepted as an insult to one\u2019s national honour, it has the potential to have dire consequences for the relationship,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s in everyone\u2019s interest to say it\u2019s no big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Albanese is facing growing pressure to offer an official apology, with Liberal leader Angus Taylor weighing in on the row on Monday, insisting that the crass podcast was unbecoming of the office.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe comments were beneath the office of prime minister,\u2019\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were insulting, and the prime minister should make a personal apology. He\u2019s done it through a statement. I mean, the hypocrisy of Labor and the prime minister on this topic knows no bounds, no bounds whatsoever,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Albanese has furiously denied making a crude joke about Ms Takaichi\u2019s \u201cmelons\u201d in the same interview where he admitted he would \u201cshag\u201d Kylie Minogue.<\/p>\n
He previously apologised for his remarks about Kylie Minogue after he was asked about her on Nova\u2019s podcast Bush Deep with Australian comedian Nikki Osborne.<\/p>\n
During the innuendo-laden interview, Mr Albanese stated that Ms Takaichi had brought \u201ca couple of melons,\u201d before making a squeezing hand gesture in front of his chest.<\/p>\n
Ms Osborne then jokingly replied: \u201cShe brought two. She just came in looking like Pamela Anderson.\u201d<\/p>\n
But in a terse statement on Monday, the Prime Minister\u2019s spokeswoman denied the comments were a joke about breasts, stating, \u201cThis assertion is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
The controversy has been reignited after Tokyo\u2019s former ambassador in Canberra, Shingo Yamagami, penned an opinion piece slamming the \u201cinsulting\u201d comments and speculating they damaged the Prime Minister\u2019s standing in Japan.<\/p>\n