'Grubby': Senate debates PM's melon-gate comments

The controversy surrounding Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's podcast appearance continues to dominate Senate debates. During a May visit to Japan, Takaichi presented Albanese with two crown melons, which he humorously referenced on the Bush Deep podcast in July. Despite repeated calls for an apology, Albanese has steadfastly defended his comments, dismissing them as not sexist.

The upper house of the Australian Parliament voted on whether his remarks were "grubby" in a motion supported by the Liberal Party, One Nation, and independent Senator David Pocock. While 25 out of 48 senators voted in favor of the motion, the debate will not result in any consequences for the prime minister. The media frenzy surrounding the podcast comments prompted Japan's government to issue Canberra a letter, claiming it was subjected to "sensationalized reporting."

However, the Liberal Party is not giving up on the matter, with Senator James Patterson referring the case to the Australian Federal Police, who dismissed it as a political stunt.