America likes to tell itself that Trump is an aberration. An anomaly, rather than a symptom of the deep, deep issues within American society, still festering from the civil war (which, I think now we can admit, the South won).

But what story do we tell each other about Australia? What story makes us feel better about the choices our leaders make?

This week, with the return of parliament, the debate has largely been drowned out by melons. Two Crown melons, in particular, also known in Japan as the king of fruit and the most perfect rockmelons you could ever imagine.

Only the most perfect specimens receive the “crown melon” tag. Each candidate is the only fruit allowed on that particular vine, and speciality farmers hand tend them for more than three months before submitting them for the label. It’s a connection of care, country and culture that white Australians rarely appreciate and to joke about it is to insult all three.

Albanese should have pushed back in the Bush Deep podcast. On the melons, on the jokes about him and wife Jodie Haydon and on the juvenile games. Just as he should have not played the game of word association where he linked Grace Tame to the word “difficult”.

The PM’s Office doesn’t mind – it sees it as speaking to people Albanese likes to reach in FM radio world, and most of those people think it’s all a bit of a storm in a teacup. Which, fair enough. When you are struggling to make ends meet and your dollar is going backwards, getting worked up over some clumsy podcast jokes is a big ask.

Albanese should have........

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