The demotion of Northern Territory senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has highlighted the perils of grievance politics for the Liberal Party. Price was sacked from the shadow cabinet after failing to endorse opposition leader Sussan Ley's leadership and refusing to apologise for false claims that Labor was manipulating visa rules to bring in Indian migrants for electoral gain.
Price's rise followed her prominent role in opposing the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, which was defeated in 2023. She quickly became a conservative figurehead, but her recent actions have damaged the party's efforts to rebuild its broad appeal, particularly among migrant communities. Colleagues described her claims on Indian migration as politically poisonous and damaging to the party's outreach.
Underlying the drama is a conservative push to undermine Ley's leadership and steer the party further right. Price's backers include senators Matt Canavan, Sarah Henderson, Michaelia Cash, and Angus Taylor. However, many Liberals believe her brand of politics, focused on social media-driven grievance, is out of step with mainstream voters and the party's legacy of multiculturalism.
Price's demotion was widely seen as the only appropriate sanction, with the party needing to distance itself from her divisive rhetoric ahead of the next federal election.
