PM Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen caught on hot mic at COP31 climate summit
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Climate Minister Chris Bowen were caught on a hot mic making crude jokes about phone radiation and anatomy during the COP31 summit. The opposition has criticized the behavior as unprofessional, while the government maintains it was a private, lighthearted exchange.
Why it matters
Hot mic incidents involving high-level officials often spark debates regarding political decorum and the public image of government leaders.
A private exchange between Anthony Albanese and Chris Bowen was inadvertently recorded at the COP31 summit in Türkiye.
The prime minister's office said the pair were joking between meetings, but the Coalition has criticised the hot mic moment as "weird and gross".
Mr Albanese has travelled to the Philippines for the ASEAN summit, while Mr Bowen remains in Türkiye.
Link copied Share Share article A conversation between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen about phone radiation and "dicks" has been caught on camera on the sidelines of a UN conference.
The Coalition has criticised the hot mic moment as "weird and gross", accusing the pair of behaving like "14-year-old schoolboys".
Mr Albanese's office said the pair was sharing a "joke" between meetings when the exchange was recorded by Australian media at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye.
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2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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