Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong was challenged on live television over whether Labor was applying double standards in its handling of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's controversial podcast appearance. Speaking to Sky News presenter Laura Jayes on Friday morning, Wong repeatedly defended Albanese, insisting that his public apology had resolved the matter and that neither the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) nor Japanese officials had raised any concerns. The clash matters because it highlights ongoing political fallout over remarks the Prime Minister made about Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The row centres on Albanese's euphemistic 'a couple of melons' comment, a reference to the Japanese delegation presenting him with two high-quality watermelons during Takaichi's May visit to Australia, symbolising the resumption of Japanese watermelon imports. Jayes pressed Wong on whether the podcast was 'sexist, misogynistic, in bad taste, cringy, or all of the above', and asked whether she would have been less forgiving of a conservative prime minister. Wong laughed off the questioning, pointing to Albanese's 'unequivocal apology' and saying people should be 'gracious' when someone apologises. The Prime Minister had earlier apologised for the appearance on the Bush Deep podcast with Nikki Osbourne, where he also fielded a 'shag, marry, or date' question involving Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore.