Liberal MP Alex Hawke has called for senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to issue an apology, warning that her remarks about the Indian community have caused “real damage.”
Hawke, who represents one of the most multicultural electorates in the country, said on Monday that he had urged Price directly to reconsider her position.
“All I said to Jacinta was: ‘Would you consider apologising to the community for making a mistake about the remarks?’” he told Sky News. “I was of the view an apology would fix this… I said to her, I don’t think you’re a racist person.”
The controversy stems from Price’s comments on the ABC, where she claimed without evidence that the government’s migration program was designed to win votes and cited the Indian community as an example.
Opposition leader Sussan Ley has since met Indian community leaders in Sydney’s Harris Park to repair relations, acknowledging that the comments “were received by the Indian community as hurtful and harmful.” But Ley stopped short of demanding an apology, insisting Price had already stepped back from her initial remarks.
Price, meanwhile, has refused to apologise outright and instead accused Hawke of “cowardly” behaviour, alleging he berated a staff member and issued veiled threats — claims Hawke strongly denies.
Other Liberals, including Barnaby Joyce, have also advised Price to apologise quickly in order to move on from the issue.
Source: The Guardian
