Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is heard in a hot-mic video chatting with his climate minister, Chris Bowen, during a break at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey. Multiple outlets say the leaders were unaware they were being filmed, and that the exchange includes a crude-sounding joke alongside comments about their phones.
NDTV reports the clip was first broadcast by Australia’s Channel Seven and depicts Albanese and Bowen talking on the sidelines of COP31. Other outlets repeat that framing, describing it as a “hot mic moment” and including variations on the wording of the joke as it appears in the footage.
One outlet also notes a response from a spokesperson for the prime minister that treats the exchange as light-hearted. Overall, coverage largely aligns on the setting (COP31 in Turkey), the individuals involved (Albanese and Bowen), and the existence of a private, off-camera conversation that went to air.
