Price clamps down on Teal MP Allegra Spender in migration clash tied to housing concerns

Australian Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price publicly clashed with Teal MP Allegra Spender on Thursday over migration policy, defending the right to discuss mass migration while disputing Spender's characterization of anti-migration rallies as 'neo-Nazi organised.' Price said she 'entirely disagrees with what Allegra Spender said in her statement today, but I welcome her contribution to the migration debate.' The exchange underscored a broader dispute within Australia’s conservative and centrist camps about how to frame immigration policy amid concerns about housing affordability and social cohesion.

Price argued that Spender was out of touch with everyday Australians, claiming her 'affluent electorate' in Sydney's eastern suburbs shielded her from cost-of-living pain. 'Concerns about mass migration are not from a fringe movement. They are grassroots issues driven by Canberra's failures. This is a national conversation our country must have,' Price said. She defended the August 31 March for Australia rallies, saying thousands of people had marched 'peacefully' to express legitimate concerns about housing, infrastructure and social cohesion. 'There were some neo-Nazis involved in the marches who were rightly booed by others who marched – and condemned by the rest,' Price said. 'But Ms Spender characterised these marches as neo-Nazi organised anti-immigration rallies. Their objective is clear: to impugn the motives of those who marched and to delegitimise the reasonable concerns that millions of Australians have.' Price drew a sharp line between patriotic Australians and what she described as extremist elements, pointing to a string of violence she linked to extremist groups. 'Since the sordid scenes on the steps of the Sydney Opera House on October 9 2023, many Australians do not recognise their fellow countrymen – those who firebomb synagogues, chant genocidal slogans, wave flags of terrorist organisations, or burn our national flag,' she said, framing the debate as a defense of national identity against extremist behavior.

The clash came as Liberal MP Andrew Hastie warned that Australians are starting to feel like 'strangers in our own home' due to record levels of net overseas migration. 'This nation has generously welcomed millions of migrants to our shores – the vast majority hard-working people who have embraced our values. But we must wake up to the fact there are people who do not want to change for Australia, but want Australia to change for them. And Australians have had enough,' Hastie said, linking migration to housing pressures and demographic shifts. Price vowed to continue pushing for migration reform, insisting spoliations from critics were attempts to shut down legitimate debate. 'Labor, the Greens and the Teals can shout racism and bark insults all they want. But Australians can see their country changing for the worse,' she said. 'I'm sure statements like Allegra Spender's will only see more Australians peacefully take to the streets to express their pride in our country and to send a message to Canberra that they will not be silenced.'