A senior ABC journalist's on-air description of Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's recent comments on Indian migration as "discriminatory" and "racist" has provoked a political backlash and renewed scrutiny of the opposition senator's remarks.
Isabella Higgins made the remarks on the ABC's Insiders program on Sunday when asked about Senator Price's earlier suggestion that the Albanese government had allowed in "large numbers" of Indian migrants to win votes. Higgins said the comments were "discriminatory, they were racist" and argued they reflected what she called Price's relative inexperience as a politician and a tendency "to go in and destroy an idea," citing the senator's conduct during the Voice referendum debate.
Fellow panellist Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of The Australian, rejected Higgins's characterization. "Jacinta Price is not a racist. With respect, that is a preposterous suggestion," Sheridan said, adding that the episode demonstrated "tremendous incompetence" and "amateurism," and that "she should have known exactly what she wanted to say about immigration and not gone further."
The controversy unfolded against the backdrop of Senator Price's removal from the outer shadow ministry on Wednesday. Party leaders moved to strip her of the role after she repeatedly declined to explicitly back Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and following the migrant remarks, which Price later clarified. Price told the ABC earlier this month that large numbers of Indian migrants had been admitted because they tended to vote Labor; she has since said Australia's migration policy is non-discriminatory and has refined her comments but has refused to apologise.
The ABC defended Higgins's contribution as a legitimate piece of analysis. An ABC spokesman said the journalist "described the comments — which the senator later retracted — as discriminatory and racist. This is a widely held view that has been expressed by people in the Indian community and elsewhere and is a fair piece of analysis." The broadcaster also said the program provided a counter view through Sheridan.
Liberal MPs were sharply critical of Higgins and the ABC. Senator Sarah Henderson posted on X that Higgins's remarks were a "disgraceful, unacceptable slur" and accused the public broadcaster of failing its statutory duty to disseminate news impartially and accurately, calling for an unconditional apology and counselling for the journalist. Henderson also defended Price's record and communications, saying the senator "made a mistake which she immediately corrected" and had not "directly adversely reflected on Indian Australians."
ABC news director Justin Stevens issued a statement saying Higgins had the broadcaster's "full support." The episode revived comparisons with an earlier controversy in which ABC chief political correspondent Laura Tingle described Australia as a "racist country" at the Sydney Writers' Festival. At the time, Stevens said Tingle had been "counselled" over those remarks, noting the "unique obligations" of the ABC and its employees.
Observers say the incident highlights tensions over migration, identity and political rhetoric in Australian politics. Senator Price's comments prompted immediate criticism from some community leaders and politicians, while others argued her remarks were a clumsy political analysis rather than an expression of racial prejudice.
The sequence of events — Price's initial remarks in an ABC interview, Higgins's televised assessment on Insiders, Sheridan's rebuttal, the party disciplinary action and the ensuing public debate — unfolded over several days. Daily Mail reported that it had contacted both the ABC and Senator Price for comment.
The debate is likely to continue as the Liberal Party and the national broadcaster respond to criticism from across the political spectrum and as Senator Price adjusts to her altered role within the opposition. Meanwhile, discussions about migration policy and the framing of political arguments about demographic trends remain central to the controversy.