Jacinta Price dumped as Shadow Defence Industry Minister after calls to apologise over migrant comments

Sussan Ley has dumped Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the shadow ministry for refusing to back her leadership a week after the senator’s comments about Indian migrants sparked outrage.

But the senator who defected from the Nationals to support Angus Taylor’s rival leadership ticket has vowed to keep speaking up on issues she said were “important to millions of Australians” like migration, net zero and the plight of those in remote communities.

Ms Ley said Senator Price had failed to uphold the standards she had set for shadow ministers.

“Today, despite being given sufficient time and space to do so, Senator Nampijinpa Price failed to apologise for remarks which have caused Australians of Indian heritage significant hurt,” Ms Ley said.

“She also refused to provide confidence in my leadership of the Liberal Party and sadly, that has made her position untenable in my shadow ministry.”

Senator Price issued a statement shortly before Ms Ley did, thanking colleagues who had defended her and confirming Ms Ley had asked her to step down from the frontbench.

“I have accepted the Leader’s decision. And I reiterated my regret in not being clearer in my comments on the ABC last Wednesday,” Senator Price said.

“Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to express to the Leader my disappointment that some colleagues disregarded the key point I was making about the damaging impacts of mass migration. And that some colleagues instead chose to indulge agenda-driven media commentary on this matter.

“To reiterate comments from my earlier statement: I never intended to be disparaging towards our Indian community. And I wish no ill-will whatsoever to the Indian community – or any other migrant group.”

She said it had been a “disappointing episode for the Liberal Party”, saying she would learn from it.

“No individual is bigger than a party. And I’m sure events of the past week will ultimately make our party stronger,” she said.

Senator Price has faced increasing calls from Liberal and National colleagues to apologise after comments she made in a television interview on September 3 claiming the Government had allowed in high numbers of Indian migrants because they were “more Labor leaning”.

Federal frontbench colleague Julian Leeser apologised for her comments during a speech to a Hindi school in his western Sydney electorate over the weekend and multiple other colleagues called for the senator to apologise.

Ms Ley described the comments, after sacking her frontbencher, as “deeply hurtful” to the Indian community.

Senator Price, in Perth on Wednesday to attend functions alongside senior WA Liberals Michaelia Cash and Andrew Hastie, had failed to back in Ms Ley when asked three times if she had confidence in the Opposition Leader.

“Those matters are for our party room,” she said.

“My focus is making sure that we’re doing the right thing by the Australian people, which is what we are elected to do.”

Frontbencher Dave Sharma said on Wednesday, ahead of senator Price being dumped from the shadow ministry, that if she couldn’t back the leader, she should go.

“If you’re in the shadow ministry — and I am and Jacinta is as well — and you don’t feel like you can support the leader and you don’t support the direction they’re taking the country, then the option open to you is pretty clear and that’s to resign from the shadow ministry,” he said.

The conflict has highlighted simmering tensions within a divided Liberal Party, with Ms Ley’s supporters calling for Senator Price to apologise while those who endorsed Mr Taylor’s leadership bid largely backing the senator.

While Nationals senator Matt Canavan said on Tuesday he would welcome her back into the party because “she’s a rockstar”, Ms Ley made it clear she wanted Senate Price to stay put.

“I warmly welcomed her into our Liberal Party party room, and I still warmly welcome her in our Liberal Party. Her membership of the Liberal Party is something we continue to welcome and support,” Mr Ley said.

Senator Price spent Wednesday in Perth accompanied by Senator Cash as the special guest at a number of Liberal Party events where she is regarded as a big drawcard for members.

The West Australian can reveal that she was also billed as the star turn at another party function set to be held at an Indian cultural centre in Perth on Thursday.

The Indian Society of WA said it was blindsided, only learning on Wednesday that its Willetton function centre was the location for the event.

The event was promoted as an opportunity to hear from Senator Price and WA Liberal powerbroker Nick Goiran, described as two MPs “who are never afraid to say what needs to be said”.

“We were not invited to the event and we will not be attending,” ISWA vice-president Dr Divya-Jyoti Sharma said.

“Our Indian Community Centre was booked via an online system about a month ago by the organisers and we were not aware of the nature of the event.

“To be clear, we are not involved in any way, shape or form whatsoever.”

In an effort to distance themselves from the fall-out, WA Liberal MPs and senior party members have urged Mr Goiran to drop Senator Price from attending the party function or cancel it.

In a statement before the frontbench changes, Mr Goiran denied he was the event organiser but said he would be attending as an invited guest speaker alongside Senator Price.

“For my part, I am looking forward to attending after what will have been another busy week fulfilling my duty to hold the Cook Labor Government to account,” he said

“Queries about the event are best directed to my colleagues who are hosting it.”

WA Liberal Leader Basil Zempilas had joined calls earlier in the day for an apology to the Australian Indian community.

“If I was in that position, yes, I think she should apologise,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“The power of the apology could be very significant. I appreciate from most of the commentary around it, there is a sense of regret about what was said and how it was said.”