The opposition leader has tried to further distance herself from an outspoken senator’s criticism of Indian migration, saying the diaspora has been hurt by the comments.
Coalition Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price forced her party to go into damage control after claiming in an interview the government was bringing in Indian migrants who would vote for Labor and support its policies.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the comments were incorrect, while reiterating support for the Indian-Australian community.
“The comments were wrong, they were not correct, they should not have taken place and corrections have been made,” she told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.
“We value, respect and love our Indian community, as we do all of our migrant communities.
“I did hear from the Indian community that they felt hurt at what they heard.”
Senator Price later said she never meant to disparage anyone with her comments and she recognised the “enormous contribution” Indian-Australians had made.
“My concern has always been about the broader pressures of mass migration on housing, infrastructure and families from all backgrounds, not any specific community,” she posted on social media.
Her comments followed multiple anti-immigration rallies over the previous weekend, some of which featured flyers carrying anti-Indian rhetoric.
Ms Ley did not offer a formal apology to the Indian community on the behalf of the coalition but said the diaspora had her full support.
“The most important message that I can send is that appreciation of our Indian community heard directly from me as leader,” she said.
The opposition leader is expected to meet with representatives of the Indian community in western Sydney later on Sunday.
Despite Ms Ley offering support to Indian migrants, she criticised current migration as a “mess” and added many were losing confidence in how programs were run.
“The issue here is not about the migrants, but about the infrastructure,” she said.
“You can never get the information from the government about what proportion of individuals are here under what visas, with what conditions attached to those visas, all you get is this headline figure.”
The government said its permanent migration intake for 2025/26 would remain on hold at 185,000.
NSW Premier Chris Minns described Senator Price’s remarks as shocking, adding that he would “love to see an apology”.
“(Indian-Australians) don’t vote in a homogenous way,” he told Sky News.
“They’re highly engaged in the political process, but I’ve seen them just as engaged in the Liberal Party.
“There’s a real sense of misunderstanding, I think that’s the best-case scenario … the worst-case scenario is it’s just completely divisive and it sets Australian against Australian.”
Opposition immigration spokesman Paul Scarr said the senator’s comments were unhelpful.
“When events like this occur, you’ve got to reach out to the community, sit down with the community, empathise with the community, and build those foundations of trust,” he said.