- Senator supports Ley to head Liberal Party following Price's dismissal
Senior members of the Liberal Party feel the party has moved past the recent controversy involving Indian migrants, although leader Sussan Ley is expected to continue facing scrutiny.
The federal Liberal party claims it has 'closed the wound' resulting from the controversy involving Indian migrants, following leader Sussan Ley removing a well-liked conservative senator from the shadow cabinet.
However, the opposition leader has faced criticism for how she handled Jacinta Nampijinpa Price following the Northern Territory senator's comment last week that the government favored Indian immigrants as they tend to support Labor.
It ended with the senator being removed from the frontbench on Wednesday, as she failed to express her confidence in Ley's leadership when questioned multiple times.
She had previously turned down requests from her colleagues to apologize for her remarks, which angered the Indian community.
The senator has stated that her intention was to highlight issues related to 'mass migration' during the Labor government's tenure, not to target a particular group.
Liberal Senator Jane Hume mentioned that there had been 'mismanagement from every party involved'.
"The positive news is that we have sealed the wound," she said to Seven's Sunrise on Friday.
We will proceed to discuss the matters that are significant to everyday Australians.
When asked whether she supported Ley as the appropriate individual to head the Liberal Party, Senator Hume responded: 'completely'.
Progressive outlets do not anticipate any immediate opposition to Ley, who secured the leadership following the party's poor federal election outcome in May under Peter Dutton.
Several members of the party felt the senator's remarks regarding Indian migrants went too far, but they believe Ley should have addressed the situation earlier instead of letting it linger.
Ley expressed regret for Senator Nampijinpa Price's remarks on behalf of the Liberal party on Thursday.
The controversy put Ley in an awkward position and was 'indicative' of the problems inside the Liberal Party, said Zareh Ghazarian, head of politics at Monash University.
The leadership of Ley would face continuous challenges during his tenure, he stated.
'Sussan Ley has adopted a proactive strategy to reinforce her influence within the party, but it will be extremely challenging as the party is significantly lagging compared to its position during the previous parliamentary term,' Dr Ghazarian stated.
Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, who has acknowledged his own aspirations for leadership, stated that 'the knives are not being sharpened' against Ley.
On Thursday, the leader did not address inquiries about whether Senator Nampijinpa Price might be reinstated to the front bench at a later date, nor did he comment on the critiques regarding her management of the situation.
"I have discussed that situation, or the broader context involving Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and the factors that influenced my decision, and I will not be commenting on colleagues this morning," she said to reporters.
Ley's urgent responsibility is to occupy the position on the front bench. Senator Nampijinpa Price served as the coalition's representative for defence industry and personnel.
The leading candidates are Phil Thompson from the Queensland LNP and Claire Chandler, a Liberal Senator from Tasmania.
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