Elder party member demands attention not given to Ley amid turmoil following Price’s relegated status within Liberal faction.

A Liberal Party insider has insisted that “knives are not being sharpened” for leader Sussan Ley amid a messy dispute over immigration and the demotion of Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Ley sought to diffuse the situation in Hobart on Thursday by apologizing to Indian Australians and acknowledging Price’s inflammatory comments about Indian migrants, which she admitted had left them hurt and distressed. Ley, however, did not predict a return to the frontbench for Price. Price has been a valued Liberal party team member who has contributed to public policy and debate in Australia and is expected to continue doing so. Ley dismissed Price from the shadow ministry on Wednesday night after the senator refused to express support for the Liberal party, its opposition leader, or apologize for her remarks about the migration policy favoring Indians. The handling of the dispute has angered Liberal MPs, leading to open conflict between conservative and moderate factions within the party. The shadow home affairs minister, Andrew Hastie, said that there was no attempt to undermine Ley’s leadership and no imminent spill. About Jacinta Price’s understanding that she would not receive “automatic forgiveness” for her damaging statements, she now sits on the backbench. The shadow finance minister, James Paterson, expected Price to resurface in a prominent role soon. On Thursday, Price was scheduled to head an Australian Indian community event in Perth alongside the conservative Liberal Western Australian MLC Nick Goiran. Shareholders of Ley, such as the shadow aged care minister Anne Ruston, assured the public that Ley had the full support of her shadow ministry and the party room. They have urged the party to move forward and focus on what Australians want.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/sep/11/jacinta-nampijinpa-price-demotion-sussan-ley-senior-liberal-insists-knives-not-being-sharpened