Peter FitzSimons, Jacinta Price fight: Mike Carlton lashes Sydney Morning Herald, Indigenous senator

The war of words between columnist Peter FitzSimons and Senator Jacinta Price has taken on a new life – with the writer’s mate wading into the fight.

Writer and journalist Peter FitzSimons interviewed new senator and Warlpiri woman Jacinta Price last week about her opposition to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, leading her to accuse him of being ‘rude and aggressive’ – an allegation FitzSimons vehemently denies.

‘I don’t know if I’d do another interview with the bloke again. He accused me of giving racists a voice but that wasn’t printed,’ the Country Liberal Party senator wrote in a since deleted social media post. 

Writer and FitzSimons’ good friend Mike Carlton has now joined the fight, taking to Twitter to add his opinion.

‘Three days in a row The Australian and the publicity-hungry Jacinta Price have attacked my friend (Peter FitzSimons),’ he wrote.

Carlton, who used to co-host a 2UE radio show with FitzSimons and is a former colleague of his at the Sydney Morning Herald, also took aim at another Aboriginal leader.

‘Inevitably, that d***head Warren Mundine joins in,’ he wrote. 

Carlton also used the opportunity to take a swipe at the paper where he was a star columnist until he left in controversial circumstances in 2014.

‘Deafening silence though, from (the Sydney Morning Herald). Which, of course, is notorious for its weak-kneed refusal to back its columnists,’ he added.

Carlton resigned when the newspaper launched disciplinary action against him for using offensive language in replies to emails from readers after he wrote a column critical of Israel.

The battle between the Northern Territory senator and the multi-millionaire author, who lives on Sydney’s posh north shore, also includes their views on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which she opposes and he supports. 

In her now-deleted Facebook post, Ms Price said the interview with FitzSimons, who is married to TV host Lisa Wilkinson, started out well, but that he became ‘aggressive… condescending and rude’ to her.

She said it ‘was like talking to a brick wall’ and 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,’ said Ms Price, who was born to a Warlpiri mother and an Anglo-Celtic father. 

She said FitzSimons had accused her ‘of somehow giving power to racists because the issues I raise are confronting – he loses the point completely.

‘I said to him, “Get down from the bloody ivory tower and come out to one of my communities”.’ 

FitzSimons denied Ms Price’s characterisation of how the interview went and said her claims were ‘complete and utter … nonsense’. 

The interview was a ‘professional exchange’, he said.

Sydney Morning Herald editor Bevan Shields also weighed in on Wednesday night after listening to the interview.

‘I’ve listened to audio of the full interview between Peter FitzSimons and Senator Price. There was no yelling and no shouting from either participant. This was an interesting interview in which the senator’s positions and views were tested. The Australian really needs to move on,’ Shields wrote.

‘It’s worth noting that Peter provided Senator Price with a transcript of what he proposed to publish in his column and she approved it. She also deleted her initial Facebook post about the interview.’

‘Every single word recorded, as I told her,’ FitzSimons told The Australian’s Media Diary.

He said the interview was conducted without a raised voice and that Ms Price approved the final story.

‘This is not remotely a matter of interpretation. Friendly interview, nice text exchange at its conclusion,’ he said.

Ms Price said she was shocked by FitzSimons’ stance on Indigenous issues.

‘I was really taken aback and I was exhausted by the energy it took having to defend myself,’ she said.

‘I was made to feel as though what I was trying to do is wrong and my voice is not as legitimate as those who purport to suffer from 250 years of colonisation.’

Daily Mail Australia has obtained a series of text messages between Ms Price and FitzSimons, as the debate over who said what continues. 

Ms Price has urged FitzSimons to release the tape of their phone interview in which she claims he was aggressive towards her.