Pressure is mounting on conservative senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to apologise to Australia’s Indian community for her anti-immigration comments, with both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Nationals leader David Littleproud publicly calling for her to pull her head in.
Price drew backlash after telling the ABC that the federal government was favouring migrants from “particular countries over others” and specifically naming the Indian community. These remarks that have put her party relationships and the Coalition’s standing with multicultural voters under a microscope, especially following a wave of anti-migration protests around the country.
Albanese minced no words, telling ABC Radio yesterday, “The comments are not true that the senator made, and of course, she should apologise for the hurt that has been caused, and her own colleagues are saying that. But even more importantly, leaders in the community are asking for that as well.”
He further stressed, “It is important to make clear my position, which is that the Indian Australian community has made our nation stronger. They contribute to our economy, our communities. They’re a vital part of modern Australia.
“And I just say to the Indian community, you’re valued, you’re welcome here, you make our country stronger by being here. And thank you for everything that you do to make Australia a better place.”
The chorus calling for an apology spans across party lines. Nationals leader Littleproud said on the ABC 7.30 program this morning, “I think she’s admitted that she’s made a mistake. She regrets it. But I think it’s the right thing to do to simply say – you’ve made a mistake, I’m sorry for any offence that I’ve caused, and move on.”
He pointed to community expectations that politicians “own up” when errors are made, calling it the “sensible thing to do”.
“We strongly reject any narrative that unfairly targets the Indian Australian community or misrepresents their contribution to Australian society,” Shail Wadhwa, president of the Council of Indian Australians Inc, told SBS News.
“She should be apologising to the community.”
The situation has fractured the Opposition. Liberal MP Julian Leeser apologised “unreservedly” while speaking at a Hindi school, saying, “My colleague Jacinta Price said something this week that I want to apologise unreservedly for. Let me say very clearly, the contribution of Indian Australians to this country is fantastic.
“The Indian community is fantastic. And you know what? India, like Australia, is a democracy. There are Indians that vote Labor, there are Indians that vote Liberal, there are Indians that vote Greens. I don’t care how you vote. I care about the contribution you make to this country, and I know it is a fantastic contribution, and I want you to keep making it.”
Opposition leader Sussan Ley called Price’s comments “wrong” and “not correct”, but has stopped short of joining her fellow party leaders in calling on the senator to apologise.
Ley used the chance to praise the entire Indian community: “What I say now is to express my deep appreciation to the Indian community for all they have brought to Australia, for all they continue to bring, for their representation in every forum of society.”
Price clarified to Sky News that she regrets not being “clearer” during her original comments but has stopped short of an actual apology. “The regret that I have is that I wasn’t clearer in terms of my comments on the ABC … and since then have made a clarification,” she said.
She added that she had not personally heard from Ley about the issue and suggested that it did not seem to be of “huge concern” within leadership, reflecting the ongoing divisions.
While Price has admitted her phrasing was a “mistake” and walked back her original interview comments, her refusal to issue a direct apology has triggered an extraordinary public rift.
With both the prime minister and multiple senior Coalition figures speaking out, the story has become a test of not just party discipline — but also of the Opposition’s relationship with an important, diverse Australian community.
Lead image: Getty Images
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