Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on Wednesday removed Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price from the federal shadow ministry after Price refused to offer the apology Ley said was required following comments about migration that drew widespread criticism.
Price confirmed on X that Ley had asked her to step down and that she had accepted the leader’s decision. In a statement, the senator expressed regret for not being clearer during remarks she made last week on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing program and reiterated that she did not intend to disparage the Indian community or any migrant group.
At a press conference in Hobart minutes after Price’s announcement, Ley said the senator had "failed the test of the high standard" she expects of shadow ministers. "Despite being given the time and space to apologise, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price did not offer an apology today," Ley said, adding that many Australians, including those of Indian heritage, found the remarks "deeply hurtful."
Ley also said Price had failed to demonstrate confidence in her leadership, a requirement for serving in the shadow ministry, though she said Price would be "warmly welcomed" in the party room. Price will now return to the backbench.
In her statement, Price restated concerns she said were at the heart of her original comments: the scale and pace of migration. "My concern—as it is for millions of Australians—is Labor’s mass migration agenda and its ramifications," she said. "Migration at the current scale and pace is putting excessive pressures on housing, infrastructure and services. And that makes life tougher for all families."
Price said she regretted not being clearer but remained firm on the need to debate migration policy. Several senior Coalition figures, including Nationals leader David Littleproud and Liberal MP Alex Hawke, had publicly called on Price to apologise after the ABC interview.
The controversy prompted Ley to undertake active outreach to migrant communities. She visited Harris Park’s "Little India" precinct in Sydney on Sunday, meeting business owners and community leaders who told her the comments had broken many people’s "hearts" and asked whether Price should apologise.
The episode has intensified tensions within the Liberal-Nationals coalition as the party prepares for the next federal election. Senior figures expressed differing views on how to respond to the fallout, with some urging a clear public apology and others highlighting the need to focus on policy questions around population, housing and services.
Migration policy has become a contested issue in Australian politics, with successive governments weighing economic benefits against pressures on housing, health and infrastructure. The debate has at times intersected with questions of race and community cohesion, prompting scrutiny of how politicians frame discussions about immigration and settlement.
Ley said the incident was "disappointing" and signalled she and the party would learn from it. Price’s demotion closes the immediate chapter of public protest within the shadow ministry, but the broader policy arguments and internal party divisions that surfaced during the controversy are likely to persist as the Coalition seeks to present a unified stance ahead of the next election.