Live: Coalition demands AFP look at leaked melon gaffe correspondence

The federal opposition has written to federal police urging them to investigate an apparent leak of correspondence over the prime minister's melon gaffe between Japan and Australia. Follow live. Follow all the updates in our live blog. Wed 12 Aug 2026 at 7:05amWed 12 Aug 2026 at 7:05amLimited gambling changes on the table in Coalition, Labor talksThe Coalition is seeking a targeted crackdown on VIP gambling inducements offered to high rollers and a simplified option to curb ads on streaming services amid ongoing "constructive" gambling bill talks with the federal government.Opposition Leader Angus Taylor and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met early Tuesday evening for a second time in as many days to hash out details of an expected agreement to amend Labor’s proposed gambling ad restrictions.Major changes such as an "opt-in" system for online advertising or a total ban on so-called gambling inducements are not on the table from either side, with Albanese having previously indicated he would not entertain a wholesale rewrite of the draft legislation.Instead, the asks put forward by Taylor and Shadow Communications Minister Sarah Henderson have focused on stronger protections for children and vulnerable people from exposure to advertising or predatory industry tactics.Read more at the link below.Wed 12 Aug 2026 at 6:57amWed 12 Aug 2026 at 6:57amCoalition demands AFP look at leaked melon gaffe correspondenceThe federal opposition has written to federal police urging them to investigate an apparent leak of correspondence over the prime minister's melon gaffe between Japan and Australia.At least two Australian media outlets reported on Monday evening that a Japanese official had written to Australian counterparts last month, saying Tokyo would not complain about the podcast exchange, and that media coverage of the incident was "sensationalised."It's not clear who provided the correspondence to those outlets, but the Coalition is suggesting the government may have orchestrated the leak in order to protect the prime minister.Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister Ted O'Brien and Shadow Defence Minister James Paterson have now written to the AFP saying they're "concerned that a diplomatic note with a critical bilateral partner has potentially been provided to the media without authorisation.""Given that communications between governments can be classified, it is possible that this disclosure is a criminal offence," they write."It is critically important that Australia's bilateral partners believe that their confidential correspondence will be handled appropriately by the Australian government … it would be gravely damaging to our national interest if they formed the view the Australian government does not take unauthorised disclosure seriously by promptly investigating it."Wed 12 Aug 2026 at 6:51amWed 12 Aug 2026 at 6:51amGood morning 👋Hi friends, welcome to our politics live blog. I'm Courtney Gould from the ABC's Parliament House team, here to guide you through the day.Things appear to be inching closer to a deal between the government and the Coalition on gambling reforms after Anthony Albanese and Angus Taylor held further talks last night.The Coalition has also written to the AFP, demanding it take a look at the leaked correspondence over the prime minister's melon gaffe between Japan and Australia.More on both of those stories shortly from friends of the blog Clare Armstrong and Stephen Dziedzic.Grab your coffee and let's settle in for another fun day on the blog!