Under-pressure Australian senator sacked from shadow ministry over anti-Indian comments
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Ms Jacinta Nampijinpa Price singled out Indian immigrants during a radio interview.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
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SYDNEY – Australian Opposition Leader Sussan Ley sacked a senator from her shadow ministry on Sept 10, for making “deeply hurtful” comments about Indian immigrants and refusing to endorse her leadership.
Ms Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, a senator for the Northern Territory in the centre-right Liberal party, singled out Indian immigrants
Ms Price, who held the portfolios of defence industry and defence personnel in the shadow Cabinet, refused to apologise for the comments despite condemnation by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, members of her own party and the Indian community.
Ms Ley said she sought Ms Price’s resignation because she “failed the test” of high standards expected of a shadow minister.
“Senator Nampijinpa Price made comments that were deeply hurtful to Indian Australians,” she told a press conference on Sept 10.
“The comments were wrong and should not have been made. And despite being given the time and space to apologise, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price did not offer an apology.”
In a statement, Ms Price said she accepted Ms Ley’s decision and emphasised that she did not intend to disparage the Indian community but raise concerns over “the magnitude of migration”.
Ms Price’s comments about one of Australia’s largest minority groups followed nationwide anti-immigrant protests that in part blamed Indian immigrants for cost-of-living pressures.
She suggested they were arriving in unsustainable numbers because they tended to vote for Mr Albanese’s centre-left Labour Party.
In an earlier press conference on Sept 10, Ms Price vowed not to be “silenced” on immigration, and refused to say whether she backed Ms Ley’s leadership.
Hours later, Ms Ley said: “Confidence in the leader is a requirement for serving in the shadow ministry.”
Ms Price defected to the Liberal party from the Nationals following the defeat of Australia’s conservative opposition coalition in May’s general election. REUTERS
