'Because of your d***?': Australian PM crude remarks caught on hot mic at COP31 climate summit

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his climate minister Chris Bowen were caught making a crude joke about their genitalia during a hot-mic exchange on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey. The footage, first broadcast by Australia's Channel Seven on Friday (November 13), captured Albanese and Bowen chatting between meetings during the climate summit.

Albanese advised Bowen against keeping his phone next to his heart, warning that ‘it can interfere with your rhythm’. The climate minister responded that he was more concerned about keeping his phone in his pocket. Albanese then asked: 'Because of your d***?" "Arguably more important than the heart," Bowen replied, chuckling.

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A spokesperson for Albanese told news agency AFP: "They were having a joke in between meetings". Australia is presiding over negotiations at COP31, but has faced accusations of hypocrisy because of its position as a major exporter of fossil fuels.

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Albanese has already attracted criticism this year over his crude banter. On a podcast, he said he would ‘shag’ singer Kylie Minogue. He also made an innuendo-filled remark about a gift of melons from the Japanese prime minister. However, Albanese is not the first Australian prime minister to face controversy over a hot-mic joke.

His conservative predecessor, Tony Abbott, faced backlash in 2015 after laughing at a joke made by his immigration minister about time-keeping on Pacific islands and the threat of rising seawater caused by climate change. "Time does not mean anything when you are about to have water lapping at your door," Peter Dutton, former Leader of the Opposition of Australia, quipped, before being told that a microphone was still on. The remarks offended Pacific island leaders.