Prime Minister Scott Morrison deleted a bizarre video from his social media accounts on Thursday night just hours after it was uploaded.
Mr Morrison posted an 11-second clip of Question Time that showed Coalition MPs raising their hands in unison, set to the rap track Be Faithful by Fatman Scoop.
The tweet appeared to be a lighthearted joke, with Mr Morrison’s caption declaring Question Time was “on fire”.
The song’s lyrics made some sense in context. “You got a hundred dollar bill, get your hands up! You got a fifty dollar bill, get your hands up!”
Mr Morrison deleted the tweet later on Thursday evening – but not before the video was widely mocked on social media.
The original clip has resurfaced on dozens of Twitter accounts, showing many had downloaded copies in the hours it was live.
The prime minister tweeted an apology at 11.40pm, saying the “full lyrics” of the song were “just not okay”.
“When I found out, I asked the team to take it down. Apologies,” he wrote.
Some of the song’s lyrics – but not those in the clip – contain sexual references.
In a press conference later on Friday, the prime minister said the clip was just a "bit of fun".
"It's quite clear that that's not a song that's on my play list," Mr Morrison said, suggesting he might choose a Tina Arena track next time.
"Look, we're just trying to connect honestly with people. And some of the narcs will get a bit worked up about this sort of thing.
"But it was a bit of fun. I think people think Australians think politicians can take themselves a bit too seriously at times."
Labor MPs were quick to join the mockery online.
“I’m now fascinated by what was going on in the prime minister’s office during the five hours it took them to produce this video,” Labor’s Tim Watts said.
“Did someone pitch this? Were there meetings? We’re other songs considered? Why?”
