Australia PM Urges Apology Over Anti-India Remarks, Defends Indian Diaspora

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on Liberal Party Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to issue a public apology after she suggested that the country had admitted “unsustainable numbers” of Indian migrants to benefit his Labor Party politically.

The senator’s remarks, made during a radio interview last week, tied Indian migration to voting patterns and blamed the community for cost-of-living pressures. Her comments surfaced in the wake of nationwide anti-immigrant protests, sparking outrage within Australia’s Indian diaspora the second-largest migrant community in the country.

“People in the Indian community are hurting,” Albanese told ABC on Tuesday. “The comments are simply untrue and have caused unnecessary division. Of course, she should apologise for the hurt caused, and her own colleagues agree.”

Government data shows that by 2023, over 845,000 Indian-born people lived in Australia, a number that more than doubled in the past decade. Hundreds of thousands more Australians claim Indian ancestry, underscoring the diaspora’s growing social and economic influence.

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns also weighed in, warning against what he described as “divisive false claims.” He convened a meeting with community leaders on Tuesday, stressing that racist rhetoric has no place in Australia.

India’s foreign ministry confirmed last week that it was engaging with Canberra following the rise in anti-Indian sentiment linked to the protests.

The controversy highlights the increasing visibility of the Indian diaspora in Australia celebrated for contributions across business, academia, and public service while also underscoring the challenges posed by anti-immigrant rhetoric in the country’s political landscape.