Anthony Albanese’s private joke with a cabinet colleague was caught on camera at a climate summit in Türkiye.
The Australian prime minister, 63, was filmed during a break at the COP31 conference in Antalya last Friday chatting with Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen about where men should stow their mobile phones. Albanese warned Bowen against keeping a device in a breast pocket because it could interfere with heart rhythm, according to footage posted by 7NewsBrisbane. Bowen, 52, replied that he had abandoned his own pants pocket for a different reason.
“Because of your d-k?” Albanese asked.
“Yeah, because of my d-k, that’s rather important, arguably more important than the heart,” Bowen answered.
The two men then burst into laughter, apparently unaware that microphones were capturing the exchange. A spokesman for the prime minister later brushed off the moment, saying, “They were having a joke in between meetings.”
Liberal deputy leader Jane Hume was less amused. She criticised the pair for acting like “14-year-old schoolboys,” reports said.
The hot-mic incident arrives as Albanese continues pursuing an unconventional media strategy that has repeatedly landed him in hot water. In August, he appeared on a podcast hosted by comedian Nikki Osborne where he mimicked a chest gesture while describing how Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi brought two “royal melons” through customs. He joked that she brought “a couple of melons… As you do.” During the same episode, he said he would “shag, marry and date” singer Kylie Minogue. Opposition MPs labelled those comments “grubby.”
His office and supporters often describe such moments as lighthearted humor, while opposition figures argue that off-the-cuff remarks undermine the dignity of his office.
The scientific backdrop to the private joke remains contested. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, non-ionising radiation from mobile phones in good working condition is not considered a proven risk to reproductive health or fertility. The National Institutes of Health says there is no conclusive evidence that keeping a cellphone near the groin causes erectile dysfunction. Still, a 2022 study published in the journal Environmental Research found that electromagnetic waves released by cellphones can reduce the quality of men’s sperm by limiting its mobility, and independent clinical studies continue to explore potential subtle effects on sperm quality and erectile function from carrying a phone in a front trouser pocket.
This is not the first time Albanese’s unscripted moments have drawn scrutiny. During the opening days of his 2022 election campaign, he struggled to recall the national unemployment rate and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s cash rate at a press conference. He later apologised, acknowledging that he had made a mistake. He has since regularly appeared on comedy podcasts and influencer channels, including Swag on the Beat and Ozzy Man Reviews, formats that critics say make diplomatic friction and blunders more likely.