A defiant Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has refused to apologise for remarks about Indian migration to Australia, while also failing to back opposition deputy leader Sussan Ley's leadership.
The controversy has placed the Liberal Party in damage control, with MPs distancing themselves from Senator Price's comments and others urging her to apologise. It has also created new challenges for Ms Ley, who is attempting to rebuild trust with multicultural communities and move the party away from the anti-migrant stance associated with former leader Peter Dutton.
Speaking in Perth on Wednesday, Senator Price admitted her remarks last week on ABC Afternoon Briefing were "clumsy," but insisted she would not be silenced on the issue of migration.
"Last week, I made comments on the ABC. I almost immediately clarified those comments and expressed, of course, the fact that while, you know, my comments were certainly clumsy, unfortunately, the issue that's of great concern, which I won't be silenced on, is the issue of mass migration in our country," she said.
"That was the prime issue that I was talking about, and continue to talk about, and an issue that I truly believe that we need to be able to have a respectful debate about, and we should all be focused on that now."
In her original comments, Senator Price falsely accused the government of bringing in migrants "from particular countries over others" to secure votes, citing the Indian community as an example.
She rapidly issued a clarification — reportedly after pressure from Liberal leadership — saying Australia's migration policy was non-discriminatory and that "suggestions otherwise are a mistake" — but she stopped short of apologising.
The following day, she then told reporters she had "nothing to apologise for," insisting it was "the ABC interviewer who pushed the issue — who brought up the issue of anti-Indian migration".
"What I was doing was highlighting the fact that there is huge concern for Labor's mass migration agenda, which is applying pressure to housing, to infrastructure, to services. Then I was further pursued on this line of talking," she said.
She also pointed to polling data: "A recent Redbridge poll told us that 85 per cent of those who have Indian ancestry… 85 per cent voted for Labor."
Despite the backlash, Senator Price said she had received support from Australians — "particularly from those who are Australians of Indian heritage".
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Political fallout continues
Pressure has continued to mount within the Coalition for Senator Price to apologise. Some colleagues, including Liberal frontbencher Julian Leeser, issued their own statements of regret.
"I want to apologise to the Indian community for any offence they felt from recent comments made by one of my colleagues," Mr Leeser wrote on social media.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie also called on Senator Price to do the "appropriate, responsible thing" and apologise.
Ms Ley also publicly criticised Senator Price's comments during an appearance on Insiders.
"They were wrong. They should not have taken place, and corrections have been made. They will not be repeated," she said.
However, she declined three opportunities to apologise on Senator Price's behalf.
Asked repeatedly on Wednesday whether she supported Ms Ley's leadership, Senator Price avoided a direct response.
"My focus is to go forward and to ensure we're doing the right thing by the Australian people, which is what we're elected to do," she said.
The controversy has also fuelled internal party tensions. The Age reported senior Liberal Alex Hawke — who supported Ms Ley in the leadership ballot against Angus Taylor, an ally of Senator Price — privately urged shadow cabinet colleagues to challenge the RedBridge polling cited by the NT Senator.
RedBridge director Kos Samaras clarified the data, telling The Age that while Indian-Australian support for Labor "is as high as 85 per cent in some places," it can "as low as in the 60s in others".
Senator Price took to social media over the weekend to accuse Mr Hawke of "cowardly and inappropriate" behaviour in berating her staff after her appearance on the ABC last week.
In the same post, she said she regretted "not being clearer in my comments on the ABC last Wednesday," but argued she had been "disappointed by some media reporting which has been agenda-driven and wrenched my comments from context".
"I know that many Australians of Indian ancestry — and Indian migrants living in Australia — are distressed," she said.
"Not only by my comments, but also in reading associated newspaper coverage."
