Australian PM Albanese caught on hot mic in vulgar exchange with minister

Australian leader Anthony Albanese and his climate minister joked about their genitalia in a crude exchange captured on a hot mic. — AFP pic

First Published: Saturday, 14 Nov 2026 9:36 AM MYT

SYDNEY, Nov 14 — Australian leader Anthony Albanese and his climate minister joked about their genitalia in a crude exchange captured on a hot mic.

In the footage, first broadcast by Australia’s Channel Seven on Friday, Albanese and top climate envoy Chris Bowen chat on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey.

Albanese advises Bowen not to keep his phone next to his heart because “it can interfere with your rhythm”.

The climate minister then replies that he’s more worried about keeping the phone in his pocket, to which Albanese asks: “Because of your dick?”

“Arguably more important than the heart,” Bowen replies, chuckling.

A spokesperson for Albanese told AFP: “They were having a joke in between meetings”.

Australia is presiding over negotiations at the COP31, but has been accused of hypocrisy given its status as a major exporter of fossil fuels.

Albanese has landed himself in hot water this year over crude banter, raising eyebrows with comments on a podcast in which he said he would “shag” singer Kylie Minogue and an innuendo-filled reference to a gift of melons from the Japanese prime minister.

But he’s far from the first Australian prime minister to get himself in trouble for joking on a hot mic.

Albanese’s conservative predecessor Tony Abbott landed in hot water in 2015 for laughing at a joke by his immigration minister about time-keeping on Pacific islands and the threat of sea flooding due to climate change.

“Time does not mean anything when you are about to have water lapping at your door,” Peter Dutton quipped, before being told a microphone was still on, in remarks that offended Pacific island leaders. — AFP