‘Jacinta will be back’, says senior Liberal after Ley sacks Nampijinpa Price

Liberal allies of senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who was spectacularly dumped from the shadow ministry late on Wednesday, say she will return to a prominent role in time.

But they have backed Opposition Leader Sussan Ley’s decision to dump her from the frontbench.

On Wednesday, the outspoken senator refused to apologise for remarks she acknowledged hurt Indian Australians, and failed to back Ms Ley as opposition leader when asked, saying instead it was a “matter for our party room”.

Ms Ley later called Senator Nampijinpa Price to advise that she would be sacked from the frontbench, bookending a week of turmoil for the Liberal Party.

Speaking on Sky News, Shadow Finance Minister James Paterson said it had been a disappointing episode.

“I support Sussan Ley, I support her as our leader. I am very disappointed that this is where we have found ourselves because Jacinta is also a very good friend of mine, and I think she had a very big contribution to make on the frontbench.

“Political careers are not linear anymore; they have fits and starts, and forward steps and back steps, and I am confident Jacinta will be back in a prominent role in due course.”

Senator Paterson said he “hoped” Senator Nampijinpa Price would not behave as an agitator on the backbench, adding he did not believe that was how she would “play these things”.

He added that he did not expect Senator Nampijinpa Price to quit the party or return to the Nationals, from which she defected only four months ago.

Liberal Deputy Ted O’Brien said one of the features of the party was the freedom to express ideas as they please.

“That has been a longstanding feature of the party … [but] words matter,” Mr O’Brien told ABC News Breakfast.

“The Indian community here in Australia, they certainly did not ask to be the centre of political dialogue over the last week.”

Mr O’Brien repeated that he wanted to send a clear message to Indian Australians that the Liberal Party welcomed them.

He said Ms Ley made the right decision to dump Senator Nampijinpa Price.

Nationals Senate leader Bridget McKenzie agreed that the senator could not remain in her role.

“This went on for too long,” she told Channel Nine.

“Senator Nampijinpa Price united the country against Labor’s divisive Voice referendum a couple of years ago, but the reality is in our system of government, whether you are in the Labor Party, the Liberal Party or the National Party, you have got to have confidence in your leader, and if you don’t, the responsibility and onus is on you to resign.

“Usually, if ministers don’t support the leader, they resign. I think she almost stumbled into the situation.”