Finance Minister rejects senator's immigration claims, condemns vandalism of colleague's office
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Finance Minister Katy Gallaher Tuesday rejected claims by Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijimpa-Price that she has received "overwhelming support" for her controversial immigration comments, saying most feedback has sought to distance from the senator's remarks.
Gallaher told ABC's Afternoon Briefing that Price's original comments were "wrong" and expressed surprise the senator has not apologized for statements that have caused "unrest and concern in the community."
"I was surprised and continue to be surprised she hasn't apologised," Gallaher said during the interview. "There's no doubt they have caused unrest and concern in the community and certainly for me, myself and my parliamentary colleagues here in the ACT are meeting with leaders of the Indian community here locally."
The minister's comments came hours after Price held a media conference in Perth claiming widespread community backing for her position on what she termed "mass migration," while acknowledging her language was "clumsy" and "unfortunate."
Gallaher directly contradicted Price's characterization of public response, saying her office had received different feedback.
"Most of the feedback I've had around those comments have been concerns or responses that seek to distance themselves from the comments that Jacinta made," the Finance Minister said.
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Government Stands by Multiculturalism
Gallaher defended Australia's migration program and multicultural heritage, rejecting Price's use of "mass migration" terminology as deliberately divisive.
"Well, yes, I do" contest that term, Gallaher said when asked whether Australia was experiencing mass migration. "It's not language that I would use, and I think you're right to draw attention to the deliberate use of that term."
The minister emphasized Australia's migration program has enjoyed bipartisan support historically and remains essential for economic growth.
"We have a migration program in this country. It's long had bipartisanship at its core, and that has allowed people to come here, to move here, to live here, to work here, and to supplement the skills base that we need," Gallaher said.
She noted migration levels are returning to pre-COVID patterns after pandemic-related disruptions.
"What we saw and I think what people can conflate are some of the responses to the COVID pandemic where our borders were shut and we did see both people staying here longer but also the return of people to Australia," Gallaher explained. "But it is returning to the pre-COVID levels."
Economic Benefits Emphasized
Speaking as the government's senior economic minister, Gallaher stressed immigration's continued importance for business operations and skills gaps.
"I was at a dinner last night where a lot of the business leaders were saying skills and making sure that we're bringing in appropriate skills is still fundamental to their business being able to operate," she said.
The minister described multiculturalism as fundamental to Australia's success, combining Indigenous heritage with global migration.
"We are a proud multicultural country," Gallaher said. "We have not only been incredibly lucky that we have a country that has the oldest continuing culture on earth as the First Nations people of this country, but also that we have welcomed Australians from all parts of the globe, and that has benefited our country, our economy and our standard of living."
Parliamentary Unity Concerns
Gallaher expressed concern about recent erosion of traditional parliamentary consensus on multiculturalism.
"The parliament has stood as one on these matters and has celebrated the fact that we are a multicultural nation, that we have welcomed people from around the world," she said. "In the last week or so, we've seen a bit fraying of that, particularly from members of the opposition, but also other senators in this parliament."
The minister said government responsibility included "explaining why we have the migration settings that we have, why they're important, but also standing up for social cohesion and tolerance and decency and respect in this country."
Burke Office Vandalism Condemned
Gallaher condemned the vandalism of Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's Punchbowl electorate office, where New South Wales Police established a crime scene following graffiti including "Oz weapons kill Gaza's kids."
"Obviously, we condemn these attacks. We condemn them on any organisation, any individual," Gallaher said. "And, of course, we condemn them, of course, my colleague, but any member of parliament and senator."
The minister emphasized the importance of maintaining safe access to parliamentary offices for constituents.
"Their electorate officers are important officers to be open and to be safe, for people to come and access the services and supports provided by members of parliament and senators," she said. "So to have those officers under attack is concerning."
Gallaher noted similar incidents over recent years while emphasizing the importance of peaceful democratic discourse.
"Social cohesion, tolerance, disagreeing without acts of violence has been fundamental to our success as a country, and we will continue to argue for that country," she said.
Banking Sector Job Cuts
Addressing National Australia Bank's announcement of 410 job cuts in its technology and enterprise operations, Gallaher expressed sympathy for affected workers while calling on banks to explain their decisions.
"For those that are affected, of course, the government's thoughts are with them," Gallaher said. "These are incredibly difficult times for workers when they are faced with situations like redundancy."
The cuts follow ANZ Banking Group's announcement of 3,500 job reductions, marking the second major bank in two days to slash positions.
"The banks should be explaining these decisions themselves," Gallaher said. "They are big organisations and they should be accountable for the decisions they are taking."
AI Impact on Employment
When asked about artificial intelligence's role in banking job losses, Gallaher acknowledged workplace uncertainty while emphasizing AI's potential to enhance rather than replace jobs.
"There's a lot of uncertainty about AI and the impact of AI on traditional jobs or jobs that we currently have," she said. "There's a pessimistic view, there's an optimistic view, there's clearly evidence that shows that AI will augment the vast majority of jobs rather than replace them."
The minister said government focus included ensuring AI benefits workers rather than eliminating positions.
"How do we use the benefits of AI, the opportunities that come with it, but have that more as an augmentation to people's jobs, making jobs better, more interesting, being able to be done faster rather than discussions about significant job losses," Gallaher said.
She noted the importance of skills investment during economic transitions.
"I think the job for the government as we go through some of the changes we're seeing across the economy is to make sure that we are investing in skills and training and new job opportunities that come with some of the changes we're seeing across workplaces," Gallaher said.
Weekend Protest Concerns
The minister addressed planned weekend protests amid heightened community tensions, emphasizing the government's commitment to social cohesion.
"What you'll find from the government is people that will stand up and explain the importance of social cohesion, the importance of respect and decency across the community, and proudly stand up for multicultural Australia," Gallaher said.
She acknowledged government concern about recent protest incidents while emphasizing law enforcement's role.
"There is a level of concern that we have around some elements of the debate that we've been seeing over the past week," Gallaher said. "A number of ministers have made comments about what we saw at the last rallies."
The minister concluded by reaffirming government values amid increasing social tensions.
"We will continue to stand up for the country that I think most Australians believe in, which is tolerance, respect and treating people fairly and equally and not seeking to undermine and drive division across the community," Gallaher said.
The interview highlighted growing political divisions over immigration policy as the government faces pressure from opposition figures while managing community tensions and economic challenges across multiple sectors.
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