Australia news live: PM says he shouldn’t have gone on Bush Deep podcast; home sales to overseas buyers plunge

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has reflected on his recent appearance on the Bush Deep podcast, stating that he should not have gone on the show. The interview, which has been dubbed 'melon-gate', was a comedy podcast where Albanese joked about a gift of melons from Japan's leader, Sanae Takaichi. Albanese said the experience taught him that he needs to "do better every day".

According to the Productivity Commission's annual trade and assistance review, purchases of Australian property by overseas investors have significantly decreased. The number of investment approvals fell by more than 22% to 5,284 in 2024-25. This decline occurred after the government extended a ban on foreigners buying Australian homes.

The 'melon-gate' incident involved Albanese making hand gestures and joking about Takaichi's gift, with host Nikki Osborne also making a comment about Takaichi's appearance, likening her to Pamela Anderson.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Guardian, The Guardian Australia — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.