Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has issued an unequivocal apology after comments he made on a podcast — in which he was asked to play a "shag, marry, date" game involving three prominent Australian women — sparked swift political backlash on Monday morning.
The PM's office released a formal statement confirming the apology, with Albanese stating: "I apologise unequivocally for the comments."
What was said on the podcast
During an appearance on a podcast hosted by Nikki Osborne, the Prime Minister was asked to nominate who he would "shag, marry, or date" from a list comprising Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore.
Albanese initially declined to engage with the question, pointing to his recent marriage — "I've just got married. I'm only six months in" — but host Osborne pressed him further, asking what he would do if his marriage broke down.
At that point, the Prime Minister relented: "Oh, Kylie clearly."
When Osborne followed up, asking whether he would marry Kylie Minogue, as well as "shag her and date her," Albanese replied: "All of the above."
The comments quickly attracted attention and criticism, prompting the formal apology from the PM's office before the start of the parliamentary week.
Political backlash: 'Entirely inappropriate'
Independent MP Zali Steggall, who holds the Sydney electorate of Wentworth, did not hold back in her assessment of the episode. She described the Prime Minister's participation in the game as "entirely inappropriate" and argued he should have refused to engage from the outset.
"He needs to learn to push back, lead by example and call it out as sexist," Steggall said, making clear her view that the question itself — not just the PM's answer — was the problem.
Steggall's criticism centred on the responsibility of those in senior leadership positions to challenge, rather than normalise, questions that reduce women to objects of sexual ranking.
Plibersek deflects, points to Labor's record on women
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek took a more cautious line when asked whether the Prime Minister owed an apology. Plibersek said she had not listened to the full podcast and declined to offer a direct judgment on the remarks themselves.
"I'm not going to comment on a podcast I haven't heard. I've heard a few seconds of it," she said.
Plibersek instead sought to reframe the issue around the government's broader credentials on gender equality, and offered a light-touch defence of the PM's apparent enthusiasm for the pop star.
"If what the prime minister is saying is that he's a fan of Kylie Minogue, I guess that puts him in a group with millions of other Australians, including me. I'm a big fan of Kylie's as well," she said.
The minister did not directly address whether she believed the PM's participation in the game was appropriate.
PM in Fiji as controversy breaks at home
The episode unfolded while Albanese was overseas, travelling to Fiji to sign the Vuvale Union treaty with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka — an agreement designed to strengthen economic and security ties between Australia and Fiji. The winter parliamentary recess is currently underway, meaning there is no sitting week in which the PM would face questions in the House.
The apology, however, has done little to quiet the debate, with critics arguing the Prime Minister should have firmly declined to engage with the premise of the question from the outset — rather than requiring public pressure to prompt a subsequent retraction.
The incident has renewed broader conversations about the standards expected of political leaders when they appear on entertainment-style platforms, and where the line falls between affable public engagement and conduct unbecoming of the nation's highest office.
