Jacinta Price Dumped From Liberal Frontbench Amid Leadership Rift
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has been dumped from the Liberal Party’s frontbench, after refusing to back Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s leadership and declining to apologise for controversial remarks about Indian-Australians. The decision was confirmed on Wednesday and marked a dramatic escalation in a saga that has dominated headlines over the past week.
The controversy began when Senator Price claimed during an interview that the Albanese government was prioritising migrants likely to vote Labor, specifically mentioning Indian-Australians. The comments were swiftly condemned as hurtful and divisive, not just by Labor but also by several within her own party. Despite mounting pressure, Senator Price insisted she would not apologise, saying she would not be silenced on what she saw as the damaging impacts of mass migration.
Sussan Ley, faced with the refusal to retract or show public support for her leadership, declared that Senator Price’s position in the shadow ministry had become untenable. Ley stated that serving in her shadow team required confidence in the leadership, and Price had failed that test. She also emphasised that the remarks about Indian-Australians were deeply hurtful and should never have been made.
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In her own statement, Senator Price said she accepted the decision but described it as disappointing. She reiterated her regret at not being clearer in her comments, while stressing that her main concern was the long-term impact of migration policies. She insisted no individual was bigger than the party and said she hoped lessons would be learned by all involved.
The episode has caused visible divisions within the Liberals. Some frontbenchers, such as Alex Hawke and Julian Leeser, openly rebuked Price’s comments, with Leeser even apologising on her behalf. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also weighed in, urging Price to apologise as a matter of respect to Indian-Australians. Within the Liberal Party itself, colleagues described her refusal to back down as reckless, with one suggesting she had overreached and did not know how to retreat from the situation.
Price, however, remained defiant. At a brief press appearance, she stressed her mixed heritage and pointed out that even Australians of Indian descent had reached out in support of her. She said her fight was with Labor’s migration policies, not with communities themselves.
For Sussan Ley, the decision to axe Jacinta Price was presented as unavoidable. By removing her from the frontbench, Ley sought to reassert her authority and reassure multicultural communities that the Liberal Party valued their contribution. Yet the fallout has left the party fractured, with supporters of Price likely to rally around her outside the formal constraints of the shadow ministry.
While Price may have been sidelined for now, her prominence as an outspoken conservative voice means she is unlikely to fade quietly into the background. What this episode has revealed, however, is a Liberal Party still deeply unsettled, struggling to balance internal divisions while trying to rebuild its relationship with migrant communities—an essential step if it hopes to return to government.
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