After the largest public rally with racist associations for migrants we have witnessed since the demise of the White Australia policy, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s comments really hurt.

This is not politics as usual. The cruel irony of this Senator’s refusal to apologise is not lost on migrants incredulous at a First Nations woman reversing history onto the Indian-Australian community. The growing public reaction to her views highlights the universality of racism — an abhorrent and destructive force found anywhere — and the real national security threat (in case you missed the ASIO briefings this year).

As a Chinese-Indian-English-Australian migrant, I just can’t agree with the defensive commentary that the Senator’s words were “not racist” towards the Indian-Australian community and, perhaps, unconsciously towards many other visibly multicultural Australians. Her words were like flint. That’s why politics is a serious job – or it’s meant to be.

Of course, migrants expect this from the Coalition. We wouldn’t raise a sweat. As a First Nations woman, we expected better from Nampijinpa Price. It’s been a shock to be honest. Tensions between multicultural and Indigenous communities have always been there, but never can I remember this serious a break by throwing us under the bus to Nazis. I mean, this is right up there.

India is the largest democracy so its citizens are well versed in thinking for themselves politically, but multicultural voters generally won’t vote for a party that rejects them based on race. That seems like common sense, not high level analysis. For far too long, the Liberal Party — but sometimes Labor too — has flirted with views most migrants experience as extreme at best, and white supremacist at its worst. This form of “strategic ambiguity” only works short term. This week the Senator burned it down to the wick, and we need people to step up.

The spotlight on the Liberal Party has migrants questioning the absence of the shadow minister for Home Affairs, Andrew Hastie, who himself has a very long and difficult public record on actions, statements and policies which continue to make far too many Chinese-Australians (but also visibly “Asian” Australians) feel extremely unsafe. That he is not being tasked in his role to bring Australians together and rehabilitate this perception seems very bizarre for someone who wants to one day be a prime minister for all Australians_._

Politicians like to talk about complexity and challenging times and that’s fine, but it takes a certain cultural competence to provide leadership on the messy historical baggage that makes up our Home Affairs portfolio. It is an important department and we need it to work. It’s not working well right now. It needs courage, intellect and risk-takers. What a challenge for a former soldier.

Hastie is a big, strong, tough guy – or so he keeps hinting to his followers. They idolise him as some sort of guru protecting “real Australians". We need a shadow minister who will apply his much-quoted values to strengthen the fabric of community relations at a time when it’s fraying. A time when multicultural Australians are questioning not just their finances, but their physical safety. Of course, just what a “real Australian” is is where everyone is getting stuck, including Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price when she specifically targeted Indian-Australians in her comments immediately after the most frightening mass rallies many have seen since they became Australian citizens.

Hastie’s absence is even more bizarre because this is precisely where and when the shadow Home Affairs minister needs to contribute his knowledge of social cohesion practice and policy and also criticise the government on its failures. Unfortunately, this opportunity clashes somewhat with his recent campaign to reinstate respect for the Australian flag.

Not just Indian-Australians, but the entire global community has just seen hundreds of those same flags raised at anti-immigration rallies across the country. That vision won’t go away, and we must feel that Hastie is on the side of justice, for people from any background, and that he won’t disappear when the going gets tough. He’s the tough guy, right? So toughen up and engage with these difficult questions.

It takes self-discipline to restrain oneself to decide if one is working for peace among nations and communities or preparing for war. Home Affairs is not a multitasking or stepping-stone portfolio. It’s a serious and important job. Yet the shadow portfolios are so mixed up right now that it sounds like the Coalition’s solution to social cohesion is no different to a Defence White Paper. Advocating constantly for “lethality” doesn’t make migrants feel we’re in a great situation in this country. Rather, it makes many of us feel like target practice if we don’t prove our loyalty to Australia by never disagreeing with you Sir.

Sometimes the cart can come before the donkey. The road to rehabilitation in the eyes of Chinese and Indian-Australians is always open and everyone deserves a chance to re-write their story as every migrant and refugee knows only too well. It’s a question of forgiveness, not necessarily acknowledgement or apologies. We’re way past waiting for those, but absence is not a great place to start that community rehabilitation.

This next issue may be difficult to hear but needs to be said clearly. For future community cohesion, Indigenous Elders need to stand front and centre here because the Senator’s comments have made their Welcome to Country feel much less welcoming to many multicultural Australians. As for Indian-Australians, just don’t even go there for a while. We should not have to repeat this, but silence on racism by anyone weakens the fight against racism for everyone, including white people.

Speaking of donkeys. If it smells like a duck and walks like a duck…? As a senior First Nations woman in government whose words appeared to most Indian-Australians and the planet to flirt with growing anti-Indian and violent far-right sentiments, Senator Nampijinpa Price’s words have hurt many of us. For the vast majority of us Senator, you’re definitely looking and sounding like – a duck.

The timing of her words after Nazis appeared at the rallies didn’t help. That’s not on the Senator, but still… We are all restructuring our local engagements as a consequence. Australia may also expect to lose more international students or potential skilled migrants from India and other non-white countries and specialists in the new industries that Australia really needs.

Still, and incredibly, none of this is inevitable.

This can all be avoided if respected First Nation Community Elders publicly reject all forms of racism wherever it comes from, without hesitation, while giving Nampijinpa Price some tough love on our phone screens. We want to archive it before the next election. This can all be avoided if shadow MPs perceived as “multicultural poison” can be rehabilitated by doing the difficult, unglamorous part of their jobs and embarrassing themselves making bad curries on SBS (oh yes, and denouncing racism).

Finally, this can all be avoided if mainstream journalists stop giving violent political extremists national doorstop media coverage. We just don’t want to see or hear this anymore, please_._

The views expressed in this article may or may not reflect those of Pearls and Irritations.