Jacinta Price claims Peter FitzSimons sent ‘angry’ texts

Jacinta Price says Peter FitzSimons sent her a series of late night texts demanding she withdraw ‘nonsense’ claims he was ‘aggressive’ during a telephone interview.

FitzSimons spoke with Senator Price for a piece published in the Sun-Herald about why she was supposedly ’empowering racists’ by opposing the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament – which he strongly supports. 

The Country Liberal Party senator subsequently alleged in a social media post FitzSimons was ‘aggressive … condescending and rude’ – and that he shouted at her during the interview. 

FitzSimons strenuously denies Senator Price’s allegations. He said it was a ‘friendly interview’ and that he at no point shouted.

The Australian published texts messages FitzSimons purportedly sent to Senator Price urging her to withdraw her claims, saying he had recorded the interview – which showed her description of the conversation was ‘complete and utter … nonsense’. 

‘You have told The Australian we shouted at each other? Every word recorded, as I advised you. I urge you to withdraw these defamatory accusations, as you know it is nonsense … Not a single raised voice on ­either side, let alone shouting. This is a serious matter and you have defamed me,’ Mr FitzSimons reportedly wrote to Senator Price. 

Senator Price later deleted her post.

FitzSimons said he only confronted Senator Price over ‘mistruths’ and that he gave her views a fair airing his column.

‘What I sought do was have her correct the record on the nature of our interview, which she partially did by deleting the post, and acknowledging to me I was not shouting … As to suggestions of bullying … simply not true. The senator posted a complete and demonstrable untruth. I called her out on it, and she took down the post,’ he said.

On Monday Senator Price told the paper: ‘I will always stand up for myself … indigenous women’s voices have been silenced long enough. As an Aboriginal woman who has been a survivor of violence and who has used my voice to highlight the plight of marginalised Aboriginal women and children, I found it disrespectful and upsetting that FitzSimons would accuse me of empowering racists.’ 

The author also insisted his comments to Senator Price after the interview were in no way intended to silence her views, but rather to clarify the tone of the interview.

The first-term Senator said she was passionate about her own conservative views as an Aboriginal woman and did not want to have viewpoints of ‘privileged’ white males pushed on her.

In the since-deleted post, Senator Price claimed the interview with FitzSimons last Thursday started out well, but claimed that he became ‘aggressive… condescending and rude’ to her.

She said it ‘was like talking to a brick wall’ and that she felt ‘insulted’.

‘I’m not a wilting violet but he’s a very aggressive bloke, his interview style is very bloody aggressive, he doesn’t need to launch in,’ she said.

‘Accusing me of somehow giving power to racists because the issues I raise are confronting – he loses the point completely.’

Senator Price has been vocal on her position of not wanting to change the date of Australia Day from January 26.

She used her maiden speech in Canberra in July to slam Labor’s plan of an Indigenous Voice in Parliament that would counsel the government on Indigenous issues.

‘We hear with platitudes of motherhood statements from our now Labor Prime Minister who suggests without any evidence whatsoever that a Voice to Parliament bestowed upon us through the virtuous act of symbolic gesture by this government is what is going to empower us.’

She claimed the act would further divide Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and there was no evidence to support such a function would provide positive outcomes.

Senator Price told FitzSimons the broad bipartisan support for the Voice is a result of too many Australians ‘drinking the Kool-Aid’ and not listening to a silent majority of Aboriginals. 

Instead of being a unifying voice to promote Indigenous issues, she claimed it would be just another layer of bureaucracy that would divide her people from white Australia and assume they would always be ‘victims’.

Senator Price also defended another bitter critic of the Voice, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, as someone who ‘cares deeply for Indigenous Australians’.

This came after Senator Hanson stormed out of the upper house rather than sit through an acknowledgement to country. 

Senator Price said travelling around the world with her teacher parents  – an Indigenous mother and white father – when she was 13 opened her eyes ‘to how we’re all human’.

She said many Indigenous people didn’t view themselves as victims of history on Australia Day, instead seeing themselves ‘as proud Australians’.