Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has ignited controversy after suggesting the Albanese government is deliberately encouraging migration from India and other “particular countries” to gain political advantage.
Senator Price’s comments, later walked back, have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum and alarm within multicultural communities already targeted by anti-immigration protests.
Appearing on ABC’s Afternoon Briefing, the shadow defence industry minister claimed Labor’s immigration policy was “ultimately about power” and shaped by the voting preferences of migrant communities.
“Of course there is a focus from this government to be getting [migrants] from particular countries over others.”
Pressed on which groups she meant, she singled out Indian Australians, saying their growing numbers were reflected in “the way the community votes for Labor.”
Senator Price’s remarks came just days after far-right rallies across major cities targeted immigration levels, with Indian migrants singled out in promotional material. The rallies ended in violent clashes and charges against a prominent neo-Nazi.
For many Indian Australians, Price’s words reinforced the hostility felt at those protests. Labor MP Andrew Charlton, who represents the diverse seat of Parramatta,told The Australia Today that Senator Price’s claims amounted to “an outrageous slur.”
Charlton noted that the Indian community is one of the most successful migrant groups in Australia, with more than half holding a bachelor’s degree or higher and workforce participation well above the national average.
“They are doctors, engineers, small business owners, carers and innovators. To suggest they are here at the invitation of Labor for votes is insulting and false.”
Within an hour of the broadcast, Price issued a statement conceding her remarks were “a mistake.” “Australia maintains a longstanding and bipartisan non-discriminatory migration policy. Suggestions otherwise are a mistake,” she said:
“My remarks were made in a wide-ranging interview … where I sought to highlight issues of uncontrolled mass migration and ruptures to social cohesion.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke flatly rejected the claims:
“We do not have a race-based migration system, nor should we. At every citizenship ceremony I go to, it’s rare that anyone cheers more loudly than the Indian community. We are lucky they have chosen us.”
Julian Hill, Asst Minister Citizenship, Customs & Multicultural Affairs, said that “Senator Jacinta Price should APOLOGISE for anti-Indian comments and dog whistling.”
“The Liberals have learnt nothing from the election, when Australians rejected the politics of hate and division. Australia does not have a race-based migration system and nor should it.”
Industry Minister Ed Husic, who appeared on the ABC immediately after Price, suggested the broadcaster’s fact-checking team would have “so much work to do” following her segment.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has said, “Indian Australians are a wonderful—and critical—part of NSW. The vile disinformation peddled at the weekend rallies is untrue, unfounded and not reflective of mainstream Australia.”
In parliament, Leader of the Government in the Senate Penny Wong delivered a powerful statement rejecting hate, violence and division. She said Australia’s strength lay in its multiculturalism, with more than 300 ancestries represented and nearly half of Australians either born overseas or with a parent born overseas. “This is not the Australia we know,” Senator Wong declared, stressing that the nation’s diversity should be a source of unity, not division.
Price’s remarks also highlight growing divisions within the Coalition over how to respond to populist pressure on immigration. While some MPs have condemned recent anti-immigration protests, others have echoed concerns about “social cohesion” and housing pressures. Labor, meanwhile, has moved to present itself as the defender of multicultural Australia. It recently supported a Senate motion condemning racism after the weekend rallies — a motion the Coalition declined to back.
Tim Watts MP said that the Albanese government represents and reflects all of modern Australia.
“The Indian-Australian community will be baffled and hurt by Senator Price’s decision to single them out with this bizarre conspiracy theory.”
For many observers, Price’s comments represent more than a personal misstep. They underscore how debates over migration are being weaponised in Australia’s increasingly polarised politics. As Charlton warned:
“A major political party is drifting further towards extremism, targeting minority communities and undermining multiculturalism itself. That is not who we are as Australians.”
In the wake of the ‘March for Australia’ rallies, Liberal ledaer Julian Leeser expressed concern about racism directed at Australia’s Indian community. Meanwhile, Opposition Deputy Leader Sussan Ley declined to censure her colleague, instead referring journalists to Price’s clarification.
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