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Liberal Senator Jacinta Nampijimpa-Price acknowledged Tuesday her recent comments about Indian migration were "clumsy" and "unfortunate" but vowed she would not be silenced on mass migration concerns, as questions about her party leadership support went unanswered.
Speaking to reporters in Perth, Price doubled down on her criticism of Australia's migration levels while claiming "overwhelming outreach" from community members supporting her position, including Australians of Indian heritage.
"While my comments were certainly clumsy, unfortunately, the issue that's of great concern, which I won't be silenced on, is the issue of mass migration in our country," Price said during the media conference. "And that was the prime issue that I was talking about and continue to talk about."
The senator's comments came amid growing pressure within the Coalition following controversial remarks she made about Indian migration that sparked a week-long political firestorm and calls for her to apologize.
Price repeatedly deflected when asked whether she had full confidence in party leadership, responding only that "those matters are for our party room" before her staff ended the media conference.
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Claims Community Support
The senator claimed extensive backing from Australian communities, including those she had previously criticized, as she sought to reframe the controversy around broader migration policy.
"There has been overwhelming outreach from many members of the Australian community in support of me, particularly with this current situation," Price said. "I have spoken to many members of the Australian community about this, including those who are Australian, of Indian heritage."
Price said supporters had thanked her for previous efforts during The Voice referendum campaign "to ensure that we're not divided along the lines of race in our country."
The senator drew on her personal background to defend against accusations of prejudice, highlighting her family's multicultural heritage.
"My own children are a remarkable, I believe, example of what it means to be Australian," Price said. "They have themselves, as I pointed out, Indian heritage, but they have many different backgrounds in terms of their heritage. My husband is a migrant. This is the Australian story."
Migration Focus Maintained
Despite acknowledging her comments were poorly chosen, Price maintained her core argument about migration levels straining national infrastructure and services.
"I believe, as part of the Coalition and the Liberal Party, should be turning our attention to ensuring that we're holding the Labor government to account on this particular issue, on the fact that there is pressure on our infrastructure, on our schooling, on our housing, and effectively on Australian families," she said.
Price argued the focus should remain on impacts affecting "Australian families of all different backgrounds, whether they are permanent residents, whether they are citizens."
The senator emphasized this represented a broader policy debate the country needed to address maturely.
"The issue is mass migration. That is the issue, and that is the issue that we need to have a mature debate about in Australia in 2025," Price said.
Party Unity Questions
When pressed on internal party divisions following her comments, Price attempted to redirect attention to opposition duties rather than address leadership confidence directly.
"Those matters in terms of our party are obviously for our leadership," Price said when asked about repairing party divides. "And again, I would love to be able to move forward from this because there are issues."
Price emphasized the Coalition's role in holding the government accountable rather than addressing internal tensions.
"We've been elected by the Australian people to stand up as the opposition to address the failures of the Albanese government," she said. "And that's what I would love to encourage certainly my colleagues to be focused on in moving forward."
The senator avoided direct answers when repeatedly asked whether she backed party leadership, stating only that her concerns focused on "doing the right thing by the Australian people, which is what we are elected to do."
Defense Portfolio Focus
Price used the Perth visit to highlight her defense portfolio responsibilities, visiting a local family business involved in defense industry work and criticizing government national security policies.
"In my defence portfolio, which is the very reason I'm here to visit, is the fact that we are failing to defend our nation," Price said. "The Albanese government is failing to inform the Australian people of the threat that's posed to us."
She praised efforts to build "sovereign capabilities in Australia to be able to ensure that we're building our bases here, but also having the opportunity to defend those bases and working well with our allies, particularly our most important ally in the US."
Price called for increased defense spending, arguing Australia should move from being "leaners" to "lifters" and "increasing GDP in defence spending to support the Australian people more broadly."
Government Criticism Continues
Throughout her remarks, Price maintained criticism of the Albanese government across multiple policy areas, describing current failures as "massive."
"I can tell you are massive failures right now," Price said. "I mean, we're continuing to go through a cost-of-living crisis. We have a mass migration issue."
The senator argued the Coalition should focus on these policy challenges rather than internal controversies.
"That's what we were voted by the Australian taxpayer to do, is to do that job in opposition at executing the failures of the Albanese government," she said.
Political Context
Price's comments occurred as the Coalition continues managing fallout from her original migration remarks, which drew criticism from across the political spectrum and raised questions about party unity.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack told Sky News earlier Tuesday that Price's comments were "not helpful" though he suggested concerns within Indian Australian communities were less widespread than media coverage indicated.
The controversy has dominated political discussion for a week, with Price acknowledging the distraction from core policy issues while maintaining her right to raise migration concerns.
"Can I just say how grateful I am to those many Australians that have reached out to me and those that I've spoken directly to, particularly from those who are Australians of Indian heritage," Price said.
The senator concluded her remarks by emphasizing Australia's multicultural success story while defending her right to raise policy concerns.
"I am a woman of mixed heritage myself, but this is ultimately the Australian story and one that needs to be celebrated in Australia in 2025," Price said. "And that is exactly what we need to be absolutely focused on going forward."
The media conference ended abruptly when staff intervened as reporters continued pressing Price on leadership confidence questions, with the senator departing for a scheduled meeting without providing direct answers on internal party matters.
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