{
  "id": 2224537,
  "title": "Australia news live: PM says he shouldn’t have gone on Bush Deep podcast; home sales to overseas buyers plunge",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/australia-news-live-pm-says-he-shouldnt-have-gone-on-bush-deep-2224537",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T21:07:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian",
    "slug": "the-guardian",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/aug/21/australia-news-live-anthony-albanese-melon-podcast-sydney-swans-melbourne-hotel-police-investigation-alan-jones-antisemitism-inquiry-icac-nsw-liberals-ntwnfb"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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\".\n\nAccording 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.\n\nThe '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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian Australia",
        "title": "Australia news live: PM says he shouldn’t have gone on Bush Deep podcast; home sales to overseas buyers plunge",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/australia-news-live-pm-says-he-shouldnt-have-gone-on-bush-deep",
        "published": "2026-08-20T20:35:38.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Sydney Morning Herald",
        "title": "Australia news LIVE: Albanese admits regret over podcast for the first time; Woman at centre of Sydney Swans allegation breaks silence",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/australia-news-live-albanese-admits-regret-over-podcast-for-the-first",
        "published": "2026-08-20T20:45:04.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Age",
        "title": "Australia news LIVE: Albanese admits regret over podcast for the first time; Woman at centre of Sydney Swans allegation breaks silence",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/australia-news-live-albanese-admits-regret-over-podcast-for-the-first-2226377",
        "published": "2026-08-20T20:45:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}