Anthony Albanese’s ‘shag, marry, date-gate’ underscores the double-edged sword of social media appearances

Anthony Albanese probably didnt expect an interview with a comedian in her “Bush Barbie” character would have kickstarted the biggest firestorm of the week.

But the prime minister, appearing alongside a stuffed copy of his beloved cavoodle Toto – fell victim to an entirely avoidable and regrettable controversy when he played along with a “shag, marry, date” game.

It’s an episode that has also exposed the double-edged sword of the new media environment, as the political establishment desperately tries to access voters who have tuned out of politics.

It’s not hard to understand why politicians agree to go on these shows. Piggybacking off the popularity and in-built audience of a popular social media creator, FM radio host or TikTok feed can endear a politician to viewers who would normally switch them off, letting them show a different side of their personality. At a time when trust in politicians is low and frustration is rising, where some people may place more trust in their social media influencers than journalists, what is a politician with a message to do?

Nikki Osborne, the host of the Bush Deep podcast, has close to half a million followers on Instagram.

But while Osborne, a comedian who dons a Steve Irwin-esque “bushie” outfit, can be risque, cheeky and uncouth – Australians aren’t as forgiving about their leaders.

Albanese shouldn’t have engaged with the game. Ironically he had the right answer initially, telling Osborne “I’ve just got married, I’m only six months in” when she asked him to rank Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Rhonda Burchmore in ‘shag, marry, date’ (mercifully it was, the less offensive version of a game which often has more disrespectful categories).

But after only mild coaxing from Osborne – “but if [marriage] goes tits up, let’s just pretend” – the PM answered Minogue for all three.

A moment of weakness, a slip of the mask, a moment he may have instantly regretted: whatever it was, it wasn’t as though this was uncharted territory for federal parliament.

One was also immediately reminded of former Labor PM Kevin Rudd’s immortal answer to a question on Rove McManus’ late-night TV show back in 2007, when asked “who would you turn gay for?”

“My wife, Therese,” Rudd replied, an answer mocked at the time but the only response guaranteed to not get you into trouble with either your spouse or the public.

The Betoota Advocate, often a decent barometer of the public mood, wrote: “Albo Now Bunking With Toto After Finally Offering Honest Answer To A Question”, with a Photoshop of Albanese in the literal doghouse.

When even Barnaby “Lonsdale Street” Joyce is giving you disappointed lectures about decorum in public office, you know you’re in quicksand.

One Nation MP Joyce wisely advised Albanese “has to be a bit cleverer”, claiming he “fell into a trap [that] a prime minister shouldn’t fall into”.

“We just can’t answer questions like that,” he said on Monday.

It’s also not the first time Albanese has come under criticism for a flippant answer that later came back to bite. In another lighthearted lightning round of questions in February, asked to describe Grace Tame in one word, the PM responded “difficult”. He later claimed he’d meant she had a difficult life.

Embracing the new media environment, where a podcast interview about footy may win you many more fans than a TV interview about policy, is one strategy Labor – and others – have increasingly deployed.

It also explains the reason why you’re seeing MPs grit their teeth through viral social media trends, dance to trending audio, and explain the budget to the camera “the way I would to my toddler”. It’s why they’re at press conferences with influencer-style lapel microphones clipped on, where there are more staff with digital cameras ready to make hype edit videos than there are TV cameras.

Everything in Canberra is content now, from performative questions to calculated outbursts.

As if to illustrate that point, Osborne wrote on social media that Albanese is not the only MP who agreed to be on her podcast – “wait until you see the next politician … Gotta keep it balanced right?!” – and praised the PM himself, calling it “bloody hilarious” even though it was “a massive risk for him”.

“They didn’t ask for approval of the edit. They just let me in, do the craziest political interview ever, then leave with comedy gold,” she wrote on Instagram.

As lighthearted as it was, Albanese’s apology is an admission he got it wrong. While engaging with new media outlets is not only clever marketing, but also good politics, the risk comes with the reward.

Early on in their interview, Osborne asked Albanese: “do you ever roll over in your bed, look at Toto, and go, “Bloody hell, we’re not in Kansas now’?”

“Absolutely,” Albanese answered.