Albanese refuses to say sorry for ‘insulting’ melon joke about Takaichi

The Australian leader made the remarks about his Japanese counterpart last month, sparking backlash over perceived disrespect

Albanese had already faced a backlash and apologised over comments made during an interview last month with the Bush Deep podcast in which he said he would “shag” singer Kylie Minogue.

During the conversation with host Nikki Osborne at his official residence, the Australian leader joked that he’d received a “strange” present of a Japanese royal melon from Takaichi.

When the host asked if she had smuggled the fruit through Australian customs, Albanese held his hands up and said “got a couple of melons”.