Overview

• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to apologise, saying her remarks caused harm to Indian Australians.
• Sussan Ley labelled the comments wrong and met community leaders in Sydney’s Harris Park, yet declined to apologise on Price’s behalf.
• Liberal MP Julian Leeser issued an unreserved apology to Indian Australians, while Alex Hawke, Bridget McKenzie and Barnaby Joyce pressed Price to say sorry as conservatives rallied to defend her.
• Price said she regrets not being clearer and insists she did not disparage the Indian community, claimed Ley had not contacted her, and alleged Alex Hawke berated her staff—an account Hawke rejected as he reiterated he had urged an apology.
• The fallout follows anti-immigration rallies and hostile flyers targeting Indian Australians, elevating community sensitivity and exposing divisions within the Coalition as it undertakes damage control.