Two weeks after its making, the fallout from Senator Jacinta Price’s tirade against Indian migrants continues. The Liberal Party has finally begun damage control, removing Price from the Shadow Ministry. State and national governments, acting more swiftly, reassured the diaspora that their presence is valued. Yet anti-immigration protests continue across the nation, emboldened by overseas movements, cultural ignorance, and blunt racism.
It is a complex time to be Indian in Australia. Indian-Australians on JacintaGate
The increased community outreach and resistance to disinformation is notable. Roundtables convened by governments have successfully made the population feel recognised. Widespread reporting of how Indians contribute to Australia and how the demographic voted in past elections – information gathered by Indian Link over the previous three cycles – firmly and unequivocally disprove Senator Price’s statements.
No cultural group in Australia, should be vilified, homogenised, or made to feel unwelcome. But within the diaspora, young Indian Australians occupy a unique space, and their reflections capture both frustration and resilience.
Rallies and Reactions
When anti-migration rallies erupted in Australian cities, these young Australians watched with unease. Refugee Lawyer Riona Moodley observes, “It’s incredibly divisive. We’ve seen this before. Whenever new migration waves arrive, anti-immigrant rhetoric resurfaces. But the current numbers are not extraordinary – they’re simply necessary to maintain economic stability. What worries me is that divisive language legitimises racism and makes people like my children question their place in Australia.”
For dentist and medtech entrepreneur Namita Gupta, it was particularly confronting to hear Jacinta Price’s comments targeting Indian Australians. “It’s confronting to see your subgroup called out. Among my peers, there’s anger that our contributions aren’t recognised. If Indian Australians stopped working, especially in healthcare, the economy would feel it instantly. To be targeted despite that is deeply disappointing.”
Lawyer Arjunan Puveendran views the rallies as a symptom of broader societal anxiety. “It’s about fear, misinformation, and division. Migrants are being demonised for problems that are structural – housing affordability, inequality, economic mismanagement. Migration adds productivity and fills skill shortages. Blaming migrants is just lazy politics.”
Lawyer Nikhil Sachdeva sees both sincerity and prejudice in the protests. “The rallies have been very interesting. From what I’ve observed, it’s a mixed crowd. There are some people who have genuine concerns about the future of Australia’s migration policy and the direction the country is heading. I can’t speak to how educated or informed those concerns are, but I think many are genuinely minded. At the same time, there are others who are, frankly, racist. They’re not motivated by infrastructure or numbers; they’re motivated by fear of difference. So, you end up with this uneasy mix – legitimate concerns alongside prejudice.”
He links these dynamics to international politics. “Look at Donald Trump in the US, or the way migration debates have played out in Europe. People here see that. They see protests in Britain, far-right parties in France or Italy, Trump’s wall rhetoric. Some don’t like what’s happening overseas, but others are inspired by it. Politicians like Trump have stockpiled the flames for their own political gain – and I think some politicians here are doing the same.”
Dheeraj Thadani, a finance student, points to the low turnout as proof the protests are unpopular. “In Sydney the protestors numbered around 8000, or 0.00097% of the NSW population. Those numbers are minor and certainly do not reflect the majority of Australians.”
Khushaal Vyas, lawyer, raises concerns around personal security. “Friends, family, they’re all talking about it. All are concerned and many are expressing fear, particularly during protest days. For the first time, they’re really feeling like there’s a target on their back.”
Racism: Past and Present
Racism has always been part of the story, though it shifts in form. Riona recalls the slurs she faced as a child, but also remembers government messaging that helped her feel included. Namita acknowledges “subtle, underlying racism” that she chose not to dwell on, though it was ever-present. Arjunan admits he was somewhat shielded but still experienced incidents directed at his family, especially when his parents’ accents drew unwanted attention.
Nikhil, however, did not personally encounter overt racism growing up. “Maybe I was lucky, or because of where I grew up. I know others have had different experiences, but overt racism hasn’t been a defining part of my life here.”
For some, the hardest part is explaining it to children. “At school, they’re fine – the community is supportive,” remarks Riona of her 8- and 11-year-olds. “But they watch the news and ask why people don’t like people who look like them. They question whether they’re fully Australian. I work hard to reassure them, but it shouldn’t be this way. We need to reach a point where every person here is accepted as Australian without having to ‘claim’ it.”
Namita echoes this concern, saying her children should grow up proud Australians without being forced to constantly prove their belonging.
Migration, Housing and Inequality
What frustrates many is the scapegoating of migrants for today’s housing and cost-of-living crisis.
“The cost of living in Sydney is extraordinarily high, and it’s hard for many Australians to buy homes. That’s real,” Namita concedes. “But blaming migrants oversimplifies the issue. The government needs to tackle housing affordability, infrastructure, and policy failures – not scapegoat communities.”
Riona stresses that migration numbers align with long-term economic projections and that skilled migrants are essential to sustain healthcare, education, and infrastructure.
Arjunan sees the protests as evidence of political failure. “Structural issues like productivity, wages, and taxation aren’t being addressed. Instead, the lowest-hanging fruit – migrants – are blamed. That lets governments avoid accountability. But migration is part of the solution, not the problem.”
Nikhil is unequivocal. “What we have is a supply issue – housing, infrastructure, services. Look at the outer suburbs of Melbourne. You read article after article about how there’s no infrastructure out there. No proper public transport, country roads that aren’t built for population growth, not enough schools. Migrants settle there, but the facilities don’t keep up. So, the problem isn’t migration itself. It’s our lack of planning to support migration. Migrants want to contribute, but we haven’t invested enough in the infrastructure to make that sustainable.” On whether migration should be paused, he is clear: “No, I don’t think you can fully pause migration. That would be very silly. Australia already has one of the more difficult migration systems in the world, and rightfully so – we want people who adopt our values. Most migrants do. Could migration be slowed slightly to match infrastructure growth? Perhaps. But stopping it altogether? No. That would be short-sighted.”
Politics and Representation
The Jacintagate fallout has left scars politically. Indian-Australians on JacintaGate
“We don’t always feel seen or heard,” says Namita. “While we share many values with the Liberals, some of the recent rhetoric around migration has been difficult for our community to relate to. It’s made me reflect carefully on my voting intentions.”
Nikhil adds, “I’m a bit older now, and I’d describe myself as conservative. The events of the past few days have left me very disappointed in the Liberal Party, though perhaps not enough to change my broader orientation. Most of my friends and family friends are in corporate or business circles, so they’re economically minded, fairly conservative. They don’t naturally gravitate toward Labor. But the Liberals have alienated them. Many feel that the party should have been their natural home – but after comments like Senator Price’s, they’re questioning that. It doesn’t mean they’ll swing to Labor, but it does mean they feel politically homeless.” Indian-Australians on JacintaGate
On Senator Price’s remarks, he says, “I think her comments were opportunistic at best, racist at worst. She was taking a political potshot, trying to appeal to conservatives in her base. Personally, I don’t think she hates the Indian community. But singling them out in that way was wrong. It was opportunism -she wanted to spark controversy. And it worked, right? We’re still talking about it. She could have apologised, yes. But I think the comments were deliberate, aimed at a very specific political class. To that audience, apologising would have looked weak. She wanted to start a fire, and apologising would have doused it. In her strategy, looking weak would be worse than looking wrong. So she doubled down.”
Others are even more blunt. Indian-Australians on JacintaGate
Policy Advisor Sanjay Alapakkam observes that “racism in Australia did not start or end with Jacinta Price”, decrying the hyper-focus on extracting an apology from her. But he notes that “her comments didn’t help, given the heightened anti-Indian sentiment in Australia and online.” He called for more legal responses to inciting racial hatred, such as those that have come into effect in NSW recently, and noted that existing laws tackling online hate “need to go much further and there has to be a greater salience and importance given to the broadly rising anti-Indian hate that’s happening now.”
Khushaal offers a different perspective. “We’ve seen a broad condemnation to stamp out that sort of rhetoric, which makes me think these protests and comments are unlikely to meaningfully impact our policies on a political level.”
Dheeraj remains cautious. “Does removing Jacinta fix our housing crisis, help Indian students survive in Australia, or stop the next child of migrant descent from getting bullied in the playground? Removing Jacinta may help her political opponents, but until we resolve the issues facing our society at large, then merely removing one politician from the front bench is meaningless.”
The Global Context
Global events loom large over these debates. Riona calls the recent UK protests “scary and disheartening.” Namita sees them as part of a cycle where migrants are scapegoated during economic uncertainty. Arjunan stressed that while Australia has so far differentiated itself, it must remain vigilant not to fall into the same patterns.
For Nikhil, the lesson is clear: “The way politicians choose to handle migration will determine whether Australia thrives as a nation of migrants, or whether it succumbs to the same cycles of division we see overseas.” Indian-Australians on JacintaGate
Final Reflections
Despite the disappointment, there is resilience. “We all face challenges as Australians. Blaming one group doesn’t solve anything,” says Riona.
Arjunan calls for learning to “disagree better” and to remember the human stories behind migration: “We all know someone of migrant background. We must value their story, not demonise their identity.”
Namita hopes Indian-Australians continue to feel safe and welcome, highlighting their pride in being part of the nation
The fallout from Jacinta Price’s comments and the surge of anti-migration rallies have struck a nerve with second-generation Indian Australians. Their voices reveal a mix of hurt, resilience, and determination. They are proud Australians, deeply connected to this country, but they also carry memories of migration journeys shaped by apartheid, civil war, and displacement.
For them, the issue is not whether migration should be discussed – it’s how. They call for nuanced, evidence-based debates that address structural problems without scapegoating communities. They also call for political leaders to actively reassure multicultural communities and to tackle racism head-on.
Above all, their reflections show that the Indian Australian story is inseparable from the Australian story itself. To target their community is to ignore the reality that migrants are not just part of the economy – they are part of the nation’s very fabric. Indian-Australians on JacintaGate
With input from Pawan Luthra Indian-Australians on JacintaGate
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