Liberal leader Sussan Ley has moved to shore up ties with Indian-Australian voters, visiting Harris Park’s Little India precinct with colleagues Julian Leeser and Senator Paul Scarr in a week dominated by fallout from Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s comments about Indian migrants and fresh tensions inside the Coalition.
Ley’s outreach comes as Indian-owned businesses and community groups demand respect and clarity from federal politicians following anti-immigration rallies that singled out the Indian diaspora.
Ley has publicly branded Price’s remarks “wrong” and said they won’t be repeated, attempting to contain the damage on ABC’s Insiders. But she stopped short of calling for a formal apology. Price had suggested the Albanese government was prioritising migrants from India for electoral gain — a claim she later described as a “misstep,” while resisting calls to apologise. Senior Liberals, including former minister Alex Hawke, urged Price to say sorry, arguing many Indian-Australians were hurt by the comments.
During Ley’s Harris Park visit, local dynamics were mixed. One business association said the meeting was constructive; another group said they were disappointed of the Opposition Leader unless Price apologised, underscoring the political risk the Coalition faces in multicultural heartlands.
The controversy has also exposed internal strains. Price accused Manager of Opposition Business in the House, Hawke, of “cowardly and inappropriate” conduct toward her staff as the backlash grew, while Ley urged the party to “move on” and refocus on policy.
Price has maintained that her concerns are about “mass migration” capacity rather than ethnicity, but The Australia Today and other outlets reported she falsely claimed a government focus on Indian migrants, prompting cross-party criticism.
Why Harris Park matters
Harris Park — formally recognised as “Little India” and celebrated by both Australian and Indian leaders during PM Narendra Modi’s 2023 visit — is a symbolic hub for Indian-Australian small businesses and community life. A local gateway project and long-running cultural branding have elevated the precinct into a touchstone for diaspora engagement.
Scarr and Leeser’s roles
Senator Paul Scarr, the LNP’s Shadow Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, has taken a high-profile stance defending the community.
Senator Scarr told The Australia Today, “We had a wonderful visit to Little India in Harris Park. I am very close to the Indian Queensland community. This was the first opportunity to connect with the community in Sydney.”
“I could see the same values on display. Hard work building up successful family businesses. Giving back to the community – always helping fellow Australians in need.”
“The Indian Australian community is such a blessing for our beautiful country,” he added.
Earlier, He condemned “vile” anti-migration rallies that targeted Indians and called the Indian diaspora a “great blessing” to Australia in a Senate speech — framing respect and unity as non-negotiable.
Julian Leeser, a senior Liberal from Sydney’s north-west, has been part of a wider Opposition effort to rebuild relationships with migrant communities through roundtables and precinct visits.
The Australia Today reported extensively on the anti-immigration rallies and on Price’s remarks, capturing community concerns about rhetoric that paints Indian-Australians as a political wedge.
Those reports amplified calls from community leaders — and some Liberals — for a reset in tone and for practical engagement on issues Indian-Australian families prioritise: small-business growth, public safety, education and the India–Australia partnership.
The road ahead for the Coalition
Ley has acknowledged the Coalition’s need to reconnect with multicultural voters after the election wipe-out and to avoid alienating rhetoric. Her Harris Park stop, flanked by Scarr and Leeser, is the clearest signal yet of a targeted outreach strategy. Whether it succeeds may hinge on two immediate tests:
- A decisive, unifying message to Indian-Australians that rejects dog-whistles and focuses on policy, and
- Internal discipline, so outreach efforts aren’t undermined by rolling controversies.
For the Indian-Australian community — now a decisive presence in key NSW and Victorian seats — the expectation is simple: respect, stability and concrete policies over identity-based point-scoring.
Ley’s reception in Little India suggests that trust can still be won — but not without clear accountability for words spoken and a sustained, good-faith presence on the ground.
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