Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley has declined to apologise for comments made by her colleague Jacinta Nampijinpa Price about the Indian Australian community.
It comes after Price said that the Labor Party was promoting migration by specific ethnic groups, including Indians, to boost its electoral support. Her inflammatory remarks came after Indian-Australians were targeted by anti-immigration protests.
Speaking to the ABC’s Insiders on Sunday, Ley said Price’s comments would not be repeated but did not specifically apologise. Instead, Ley said the Indian community has her full support.
“What I have offered to the Australian Indian community is my full support, my deep appreciation, my ongoing warmth for what they bring to this country and how we value them as migrants,” Ley said.
“Others will make their own remarks, I know that as leader the most important message I can send is that appreciation of our Indian community heard directly from me as leader.”
In a statement to social media on Sunday, Price did not apologise for her comments but said never “intended to be disparaging towards our Indian community”.
“Of course, I regret not being clearer in my comments on the ABC last Wednesday,” she said.
“I know that many Australians of Indian ancestry – and Indian migrants living in Australia – are distressed.”
“Indian migrants who have come to Australia have a strong record of integration, embracing our values, working hard in many fields of endeavour, and joining the league of loyal Australian citizens.”
She also accused a senior colleague, Alex Hawke, of “berating her staff” when he called her office on Thursday.
“He even pressed my staff that if I did not comply with his requests, I may end up like another female member of the Coalition – who I won’t name,” she wrote.
“Later that day, I sent him a WhatsApp message to call out his cowardly and inappropriate conduct. Only after that message did Alex Hawke and I speak on Thursday evening.
“If people want to talk about a so-called “woman problem” in the Liberal Party, then it’s this: we don’t stand up for women when they are mistreated by our own colleagues.”
The female member of the Coalition that Price referred to is believed to be Senator Jane Hume, who made allegations about Chinese “spies” volunteering for Labor prior to the May election. Hume has since been demoted to the backbench.
Speaking to Sky News, Hume said she was shocked to have been mentioned in the saga.
“I am still reeling a little bit … I am not sure entirely what this is all about and why my name needs to be included,” she said. “I have just been focusing on the committee work that I need to do, and the policy work I’ve done.”
“I think the most important thing here is that we move on from this. Jacinta has stepped back from her words that she said last week. She said that she was wrong, and that we move on.”
The Indian Australian community has been hurt by Price’s comments, which came at a particularly difficult time in the wake of the March for Australia rallies.
Speaking this morning, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek joined growing calls for Price to apologise.
“Jacinta Price should apologise and if she doesn’t Sussan Ley should make her apologise,” Plibersek said.
“They’ve got all sorts of mess happening in the Coalition.”
Meanwhile, Liberal senator Maria Kovacic said many within the Liberal Party were upset about Price’s comments.
“I disagree with those comments. I believe that they are factually incorrect, they are not true. The Australian Indian community makes an extraordinary contribution to multicultural Australia,” Kovacic told Sky News.
“To say that [Alex Hawke], along with other colleagues, were deeply disappointed by the comments from Senator Price would be an absolute understatement.”