Asked who she thought Labor was trying to bring in for the sake of votes, the senator singled out the Indian community.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAs we have seen, you yourself mentioned, that there is a concern with the Indian community, and only because there\u2019s been large numbers, and we can see that reflected in the way the community votes for Labor at the same time,\u201d Price said.<\/p>\n
Price\u2019s comments on the ABC came hours after she draped herself in the Australian flag in the Senate in a show of national pride on \u201cNational Flag Day\u201d \u2013 a move that was later imitated by One Nation senator Pauline Hanson.<\/p>\n
Indian Australians have described experiencing racism<\/a> and being afraid to travel into cities when last weekend\u2019s rallies singled out high levels of immigration from India in their promotional material. One man described being pointed at while someone shouted<\/a>, \u201cdeport, deport, deport\u201d.<\/p>\n An hour after the broadcast, Price issued a statement to the media clarifying her remarks.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralia maintains a longstanding and bipartisan non-discriminatory migration policy. Suggestions otherwise are a mistake,\u201d she said. \u201cMy remarks were made in a wide-ranging interview on ABC where I sought to highlight issues of uncontrolled mass migration and ruptures to social cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n Faruqi, who was born in Pakistan, said the targeting of Indian migrants at the weekend\u2019s marches had been despicable \u201cand this type of rhetoric just feeds into their agenda\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems Senator Price has a habit of making statements that have no grounding in reality. Like any other community, the Indian community has a diversity of views and it is condescending of Senator Price to claim anything else,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralians comprehensively rejected [Peter] Dutton\u2019s Trumpian agenda at the election, but it appears the Coalition haven\u2019t learnt their lesson.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Labor and the Coalition have courted Indian Australian voters, including at the last election. Vithyaa Thavapalan, founder of the South Asian Foundation Australia, said she felt the community had been treated like \u201cchess pieces\u201d by both parties. \u201cI think they were made aware that the South Asian population is one of the fastest growing communities in Australia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The Coalition\u2019s dismal results in metropolitan and multicultural electorates has led Ley to emphasise she was a new leader with a new tone and team. Ley relegated Price from the Indigenous affairs portfolio<\/a> to defence industry after the senator\u2019s failed bid to become deputy Liberal leader.<\/p>\n Asked about Price\u2019s remarks on Wednesday, Ley\u2019s office did not comment, but pointed to Price\u2019s clarification statement.<\/p>\n Sharma, who has Indian heritage, said: \u201cI support the Indian community in Australia and applaud the contribution they have made to our nation. And I fundamentally reject stereotyping of any migrant community.\u201d<\/p>\n Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australia did not have a race-based migration system, \u201cnor should it\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAt every citizenship ceremony I go to, I love reading out the countries of origin and hearing the cheers from everyone about to make a pledge to our country. It\u2019s rare that anyone cheers more loudly than the Indian community. We are lucky that they have chosen us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n