Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has sought to reassure Indian-Australians after her comments on migration drew criticism and concern, particularly in the wake of an anti-mass migration rally where the community was singled out.
In an exclusive interview with The Australia Today’s editor Pallavi Jain, Senator Price stressed that her remarks were not intended to disparage Indian-Australians, who she described as “a hugely successful diaspora” that has made “a massive contribution” to Australia in business, culture, and skills.
“My comments were never intended to be disparaging towards our Indian community, I absolutely acknowledge the fact that the Indian community has made a massive contribution to Australia more broadly.”
“I cherish our Indian community. I have absolutely no ill will toward Indian Australians in general,” Price said, adding that her own family has Indian heritage and that she has worked closely with Indian businesses and families throughout her political career.
“My children have Indian heritage themselves and one of my sons actually spent seven weeks on exchange at the Doon School in Dehradun when he was younger.”
Senator Price clarified that her concerns were directed at mass migration’s pressure on housing and infrastructure, not at specific migrant groups. She condemned recent extremist rallies, saying: “Any kind of discrimination in any form is unwarranted and it should be condemned and called out.”
“I certainly did do that with regard to the marches, the march that took place this weekend and the marchers that occurred prior to that that were the pro-Palestinian marches, the extremism is not welcome in Australia and certainly singling out of particular communities. Again, I support our Indian community wholeheartedly.”
On calls for an apology, Price said she had already clarified her remarks but emphasised her ongoing commitment to unity:
“I certainly do not want the Indian community to feel like I have any ill will… I want to continue to work closely with my friends right across the board.”
The Australia Today presented Senator Price with its internal poll findings, which showed 60% of Indian-Australians would vote Liberal, 33% Labor, 6% Greens and 3% others. The results challenged her earlier reference to a report suggesting Indians overwhelmingly back Labor, highlighting instead that Indian-Australians, like other Australians, vote on policies rather than as a single bloc.
Senator Price acknowledged the diversity of political opinion within the diaspora, drawing parallels with Indigenous representation. “Not all Indian Australians think the same or vote the same,” she said, welcoming The Australia Today’s polling which showed many Indian-Australians support the Coalition.
“For me going forward, I will certainly keep that in mind. I suppose I never really started out these conversations with the concept that all Indian Australians all thought the same or voted as a block because I understand how that feels as somebody coming from the Indigenous community that is viewed in that particular way.”
Highlighting the vital role Indian-Australians play in filling workforce gaps, Price praised their contribution in communities such as Alice Springs:
“In the community of Alice Springs where I am from we are richer for the fact that we have a wonderful contributing Indian community that I count amongst friends of my own. So, yes, that’s the truth of the situation.”
Concluding with a call for unity, Price assured the community that “for every person that says something disparaging, there are many, many, many more that will stand alongside our wonderful Indian community.”
“The overall sentiment is that we are respectful of all of those that come to our country and want to work cohesively with one another around the country. You can be assured that there is, for every person that says something disparaging, there are many, many, many more that will stand alongside our wonderful Indian community.”
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