Some members of the Australian-Indian community have urged Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to apologise, after she claimed the government prioritises Indian migrants because many of them vote for Labor.
Earlier this week, Price told ABC Radio Labor is accepting migrants who "support their policies, their views and vote for them as well", singling out "the Indian community" as an example.
Shortly after, she appeared to walk back her comments, saying she didn't think she had anything to apologise for and appeared to accuse the interviewer of pushing the topic.
In the western Sydney suburb of Harris Park — also known as Little India — some locals told SBS News the remarks have left them feeling unfairly targeted, coming just days after anti-immigration rallies that took place across the country.
'It's not a thing'
Ritwik Singh, whose father migrated to Australia on a skilled visa, said the rallies have already unsettled many in the community.
"It was probably just a bit of a guise for some deeper stuff, like white supremacy," he told SBS News. "A lot of people on my WhatsApp were saying that Indians were being called out and targeted in particular with this protest."
Singh said friends overseas had reached out to check if he was safe. "The reaction has not been positive. I had a friend from India reach out to me, saying, 'Are you guys alright?'"
Singh rejected Price's claim that Indians overwhelmingly vote Labor. "I don't agree with her. She's way off with her comments," he said.
"Indian people tend to vote by looking at their backyard. They're looking at what's most important for them … They don't necessarily side each way, but both parties definitely try and get the vote because the size of the population is pretty meaningful."
Harris Park resident Ritwik Singh said Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price was "way off" with comments that claimed the government prioritises Indian migrants because many of them vote for Labor. Source: SBS News
'National asset'
Another Harris Park resident, Nashih Fatima, who migrated from India seven years ago, also dismissed Price's claims about voting patterns.
"Everyone has different political parties and different views," she told SBS News. "That's silly. It's not a thing."
"We left our country because we wanted to make this country good and better. Every immigrant has the right to live and work and be happy here."
Shail Wadhwa, president of the Council of Indian Australians Inc, said Price's remarks fuel division.
"We strongly reject any narrative that unfairly targets the Indian Australian community or misrepresents their contribution to Australian society," Wadhwa told SBS News. "She should be apologising to the community."
Wadhwa pointed to a 2022 federal government report describing the Indian diaspora as a "national asset", highlighting its youth, high levels of education, and above-average earnings. People born in India now make up the second-largest overseas-born population in Australia, behind those from England.
'Should have been voting Coalition'
Price cited polling from political research company RedBridge, showing around 85 per cent of Indian-Australians voted Labor in 2022.
But RedBridge director Kos Samaras said the numbers don't tell the full story.
"These communities should have been voting Coalition," Samaras said, noting that the Howard government had been responsible for introducing skilled migration pathways regularly used by Indian migrants.
"On paper, they should be voting conservative … but when we ask them why they don't, the answer is blunt: the Coalition does not like them," Samaras said.
Damage to the 'Liberal brand'
Australian National University academic Frank Bongiorno, who specialises in political history, said Price's remarks were "very damaging to the Liberal brand" at a time when the party was already struggling for votes.
"All the indications are that it's electoral poison," he told the Australian Associated Press.
Bongiorno said the comments were likely to have a lasting impact on how migrant communities viewed the Coalition. "Those impressions stick and they can actually stick for years," he said.
"Many [migrants] do have quite conservative cultural values that probably are more in keeping with ideas that you find within the Liberal and the National Party but ... there's a sense this is a place that's hostile to them."
While Singh believes anti-immigration sentiment is not widespread, he too warned it could have lasting consequences.
"It will become one of those reasons where people will stop wanting to send their kids [to Australia] for education, or you might have skilled migrants think that maybe Australia's not the best choice anymore," he said.
Liberal MP side-steps calls for apology
Opposition leader Sussan Ley was quick to stress the Coalition's support for Indian Australians, and said Australia's migration policy remained non-discriminatory.
Liberal MP Leon Rebello, whose parents hail from the western Indian state of Goa, told SBS News he believes Price has "walked back" her comments and that the party must continue to support the community.
"The Indian community does so much and they've contributed so much to Australian society — I'm there with Jacinta in the party room, backing them every step of the way," he said.
"It's very disappointing that the marches were hijacked by neo-Nazis … However, the marches also had thousands of Australians from different backgrounds who wanted to communicate a very clear message … their concerns about the current migration problem," Rebello said.
He stopped short of calling Price to apologise to the community, saying: "The fact that she has recognised or walked back those comments is an indication of her view."
But for locals in Harris Park, the damage is already done.
"Immigrants are always the first port of call — it's very easy to just point the finger," Singh said. "This country has been built on immigrants … they tend to do a lot more good for the country than not."
— With additional reporting by Rayane Tamer and the Australian Associated Press
