9 September 2025
Sarah Abo
Well, the rift continues to threaten the Coalition this morning, with Liberal front bencher Alex Hawke calling on Senator Jacinta Price to apologise for her comments about Indian migrants. Joining us to discuss today’s headlines is independent MP Monique Ryan in Melbourne and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Ted O’Brien in the studio with me. Good to see you both. So Ted, this is a little bit ugly for you guys. Is it about time Jacinta Price apologises?
Ted O’Brien
Look, I think the most important thing here is we all just have to be very authentic. We have to be ourselves and speak from the heart. And it’s not for me to be saying what somebody should say as a script. I think Jacinta is absolutely an authentic person. She has already said that she wishes to clarify and correct what she said about the Australian Indian community, and she’s done that.
Sarah Abo
So she authentically believes that Indians are a problem in this country?
Ted O’Brien
She has said very authentically that, in fact, Australia is a richer community because-
Sarah Abo
You know this is a bad look for the Coalition.
Ted O’Brien
Well, to be honest, Sarah, I take your point, but it’s actually not about us. This is a reminder about how important it is for us to have a multi ethnic community that we do, and everybody has to be respected. And I know from my own background and my own engagement in my community, the Indian Australians, they reflect the best of Australian values. I mean, these are the ones who are so entrepreneurial, they work so hard, they integrate into the local community-
Sarah Abo
Yeah, absolutely. Maybe you need to give that memo to Jacinta, because she seems to be not necessarily recognising that.
Ted O’Brien
Jacinta has corrected her comments, and rightly so, I have to say-
Sarah Abo
Monique, how do you see this?
Monique Ryan
Well, look even just before the recent anti-immigration marches in Melbourne, I was having Indian Australian constituents from Kooyong telling me that they were really distressed by the sorts of comments that have been made by people like Jacinta Price leading up to those marches. They said they felt unsafe. I don’t think they feel any more safe now in the light of the remark, more recent remarks that she’s made, or in the fact, in light of the fact that both Ted O’Brien and Sussan Ley are failing to really hold her to account for those remarks. You know, these sorts of sentiments, are hurtful and harmful to Indian Australian communities, and the fact that the leadership of the Liberal Party can’t force her to walk away from them and to apologise for them is really very deeply concerning for those communities.
Sarah Abo
I think the worst part about it Monique is, I mean, she is, as Ted says, her own person, but the fact that she doesn’t want to apologise, I think, is what’s apologise, I think, is what speaks volumes, not necessarily having to be forced to do that.
Monique Ryan
I don’t think that she generally feels any contrition for those remarks, I think she probably would stand by them if she were not held to account by her own leadership. And what we’re seeing is a failure of leadership from the Liberal Party on this matter. It’s deeply hurtful to Indian Australian communities and to other diaspora communities in this country.
Sarah Abo
The other problem you have Ted is that the Indian government is now weighing in on this, concerned about the safety of their diaspora in Australia.
Ted O’Brien
And look, I think every diaspora in Australia needs to be respected. And this is a reminder to us that there’s one thing that unites us. We all come from different places, with the exception of our Indigenous Australians. And the one thing that unites us is a common set of values, common set of values, and the Indian community reflects those values.
Sarah Abo
You’re gonna have a field, the Labor government’s gonna have a field day with this. You know that.
Ted O’Brien
Well, look, they can play the politics. Monique can play politics, as she just did. The priority is the Australian people, and that includes all communities-
Monique Ryan
Which is something that you’re you are not doing, and Sussan Ley is not doing, speaking up for my community and the concerns that they hold.
Sarah Abo
All right. Well, let’s move on, and the nation’s youth crime crisis trouble continues with residents now in Melbourne sounding the alarm after a 15 year old boy and a 12 year old boy were brutally stabbed to death by machete wielding thugs. Monique, this is getting completely out of hand. These are two children we’re talking about running for their lives, yet killed on the streets of suburbia and the Premier down there, Jacinta Allen is seemingly looking the other way.
Monique Ryan
It was a horrible, horrible situation. Unfortunately, it wasn’t isolated. We’ve seen an increase in violent crime on the streets of Melbourne in recent years, and it is a great concern to everyone who is in this state and elsewhere in Australia. We do need to engage better with immigrant communities and to keep those members of those communities safe. What we know is that youth justice programs and the things of getting those kids involved back into the system, back in school, are being defunded by the Allan state government. Now I’m sure that people like Ted will say we should throw the book at the criminals responsible for these actions, and we can potentially do that, but that’s not going to address the underlying problem, which is that youth justice is underfunded and under supported around the country, and that’s leading to an increase in these sorts of horrible, distressing crimes.
Sarah Abo
But maybe Monique, we do need to be less lenient on these repeat offenders. Because, I mean, I don’t know about your constituents, but I’ve got lots of friends in Melbourne who are actually terrified. You know, when I saw them on the weekend, they were talking about beefing up their own security, trying to protect themselves, because they’re feeling desperately vulnerable. I mean, what is wrong with the government when it’s more preoccupied with working from home legislation in Victoria than it is with keeping its own residents safe? I’m telling you, they cannot sleep at night because they’re so scared.
Monique Ryan
And there’s been an issue in my electorate of Kooyong as well. There’s been an increase in aggravated burglaries and in home invasions and certainly that is a real concern. I’m just not sure that. And lots of people are beefing up security some, in some instances, people are paying for local security patrols, which is just out of control. And something, I actually had a policing forum in my community last Thursday to talk about people’s concerns and get them in front of the police and give them an opportunity to discuss those concerns. Yes, we can do that, but if we really want to address the underlying problem, I think we have to look at the significant community of young people.
Sarah Abo
I hear what you’re saying Mon, but I think you just need to stop it right now, because it’s getting out of hand. I mean, Ted, we have a community leader on the show later, and he’s going to tell us about how he has helped some families actually send their children back to parts of Africa because they feel it’s safer for them there than it is on the streets of Melbourne.
Ted O’Brien
And doesn’t that tell you everything. I mean, we need zero tolerance for this, absolutely zero tolerance. When we are here in Australia, we are all blessed with rights, but those rights come with commensurate responsibilities, and that includes following the rule of law, and the state government should absolutely crack down.
Sarah Abo
Yeah, I know it’s getting really ugly down there. All right, well, let’s try and lighten things up a little bit, shall we? And it seems the Prime Minister is going to great lengths to reach the Tik Tok generation, and this time, he’s gone beyond the lingo like delulu. Let’s take a look at this.
[Plays excerpt]
Anthony Albanese
I’m sorry. Are you here to see me?
Lucy & Nikki
No, silly, I go here.
Anthony Albanese
You go where?
Lucy & Nikki
Harvard Law School.
Anthony Albanese
You got into Harvard Law?
Lucy & Nikki
What, Like it’s hard?
[End excerpt]
Sarah Abo
My goodness, it just makes me cringe so much. But Ted, so this was said during the Happy Hour podcast, right? It’s a podcast he’s appeared on before, before the election. It seems to be working for him. Maybe it’s pretty clever. What do you think?
Ted O’Brien
Politicians aren’t cool and they’re not funny. And so you know, if Albo’s cracked the nut, I’m going to have to have a good deep look inside myself.
Sarah Abo
I reckon you could jump on a Tik Tok trend, come on.
Ted O’Brien
I’m nowhere near as cool as that. I mean, seriously.
Sarah Abo
Monique, I don’t think he looks cool at all. I think it’s terribly cringe. But maybe it’s the way to cut through?
Monique Ryan
No it’s terrible. Legally Blonde is one of the great movies, but that is utter cringe.
Sarah Abo
I love that take Moniquie. I’m going to sign you up, but you have to do one now, Ted, we’re going to grab him in the ad break. Guys, thank you so much for joining me this morning. What do you reckon, Karl?
Karl Stefanovic
I thought it was Albo like in full, with the voice and everything. And I thought it was genius.
ENDS