"Jacinta Price’s comments about Australians of Indian heritage were wrong and are just as offensive today as they were the first time she said them.”

The motion was put forward by Labor Councillor Michael Ng as a matter of urgency after Senator Price suggested the Labor Party was allowing “large numbers” of Indian migrants into Australia because they “ultimately vote for Labor.”

"My mum taught me to stand up for myself and multiculturalism… No Australian can make me feel like a stranger in my country.”

The move, praised by some Middle East observers as a diplomatic breakthrough, has drawn sharp condemnation from Israel, the United States, and Australia’s conservative opposition.

Despite all the existential talk about the Liberal Party, there remain significant institutional ballasts and supports.

She later told the room she would be more careful in future to explain the point she intended to make, and criticised sections of the media for portraying her motives unfairly.

The apology came a day after Ms Ley removed Senator Jacinta Price from the shadow cabinet.

Labor’s Julian Hill says Senator Price was sacked for not supporting Ley, not for her Indian migrant remarks.

She described the episode as disappointing for the Liberal Party, adding that she will learn from it and believes the party will emerge stronger.

Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said the community must not be “used as fodder in an internal Liberal Party dispute” over migration.