Andrew Hastie: ‘Knives not being sharpened’ for Ley insists liberal leadership contender

Liberal leadership contender Andrew Hastie insists “the knives are not being sharpened” for Sussan Ley as his colleagues openly telegraph their desperation to move on from the Jacinta Price debacle.

Ms Ley dumped Senator Price from the Opposition frontbench on Wednesday evening after the outspoken Senator declined to back her leadership amid ongoing damage to the party’s standing with Indian Australians stemming from the senator’s claims about migration.

Frictions in the party played out in public during the week between Senator Price’s initial comments and her sacking.

Mr Hastie, who has been open about his own future leadership ambitions, vowed on Thursday to “always speak my mind” but said once Senator Price couldn’t express confidence in Ms Ley, the outcome was inevitable.

He said despite “feverish speculation” after Ms Ley acted on Wednesday night, there was no spill in the offing.

“The knives are not being sharpened … they’re not. What we need now is stability,” he told 2GB radio.

“We actually need to work out who we are and who we’re fighting for and that’s the fundamental question that we face in the wake of one of the biggest defeats we’ve had last May.

“There isn’t a spill. People know I have a desire to lead but there isn’t a move – just to be very clear.”

Some of those who backed rival Angus Taylor in the leadership ballot thought Ms Ley had strengthened her standing after the episode.

Many other Liberals speaking in public and private expressed their desire to move on and return focus to the Government.

“The last week hasn’t been good for us. We’ve been talking about ourselves and not doing it in a pretty way,” frontbencher Jonno Duniam said.

Colleague James Paterson said it had been “self-evidently not an edifying week for the Liberal Party”, and he was concerned about how the Indian Australians community had heard the discussion and felt about it.

Nevertheless, he was among multiple people who thought Senator Price would return to the frontbench.

“Political careers are not linear any more, they have fits and starts, forward steps and back steps, and I’m confident that Jacinta will be back in a prominent role in the frontbench,” he said.

Ms Ley apologised to Indian Australians and any others hurt and distressed by Senator Price’s comments about the high rates of migration.

“I know that our migrant communities are waiting for homes like all Australians and anxious for a government that delivers for them and recognises that the woeful approach to housing, to aged care, to support for small business, it affects everyone,” she said.

WA Liberal Leader Basil Zempilas also moved to reassure the community on Thursday, writing to the Indian Society of WA to express regret over hurt caused by Senator Price.

But he rejected calls to cancel a Liberal Party fundraiser featuring Senator Price being held at an Indian community hall in Willetton on Thursday night.

“A fundraiser that has been organised some time ago is taking place tonight. I accept that Senator Jacinta Price is part of the panel that will appear at that event and that is fair enough,” Mr Zempilas said.

“I spoke to the Indian community about that and they were okay with it being held at that centre.”

Senior WA minister John Carey accused Liberal powerbroker Nick Goiran of giving a “two-fingered salute” to Mr Zempilas, if he appeared alongside Senator Price at the event, while Labor MP Jags Krishnan said he’d been contacted by “multiple people in the Indian community” distressed that the event was still going ahead within his electorate of Riverton.

Mr Goiran and Senator Price share top billing in promotional material for the event, but it was organised by Liberal MLC Michelle Hoffman.

She vowed it would go ahead, saying they had sold 500 tickets.

“Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price is an incredible member of Parliament. She’s really passionate about her community and there’s a lot of people who are very much looking forward to seeing her tonight,” Ms Hoffman said.