Why many in the Indian community backed Labor at the federal election

Australia Broadcast Center

09-05-2025

"No-one left behind."
That promise, made by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in his victory speech after securing a second term last weekend, struck a chord with many in the Indian diaspora, including Lalith Krishnamurthy.
The 39-year-old IT project manager from Sydney said he felt "relieved" seeing a Labor win.
Born in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Mr Krishnamurthy became an Australian citizen in 2018 and voted for the first time at the 2019 federal election.
For him, Labor "made an attempt to represent the interests of all Australians".
"I believe that is why many Indians support Labor," he told the ABC.
The world "is becoming more divisive and polarised", Mr Krishnamurthy said, which was why he had concerns about the Liberal Party.
Refusing to acknowledge impacts of climate change and "disrespecting" Indigenous Australians were among his reasons for not voting for them.
"Borrowing ideas and slogans from across the ocean" was another, he said, referring to Donald Trump's effect on Australian politics.
Prerna Karnani from Melbourne echoed his sentiment.
"As a woman of colour, the biggest relief was to see that Australians didn't vote the MAGA way," Ms Karnani told the ABC.
The 37-year-old entrepreneur and mother, who has always voted for Labor, said she was glad with the outcome.
"The result showed that divisiveness and othering is not what we stand for, unlike what's happening in other parts of the world."
While Ms Karnani said no political party was perfect, she believed Labor's priorities were centred around "things that matter most to everyday Aussies".
"Housing affordability, childcare and affordable healthcare were the important issues for me," she said.
Sukhmani Khorana, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales, researches public understanding of migrants and refugees.
Looking at the seats and booths in which the Indian diaspora has significant numbers in Western Sydney, Dr Khorana said there was "a strong Labor primary vote".
This included in suburbs such as Parramatta, Westmead, Wentworthville, Girraween, Glenwood, The Ponds, Schofields and Marsden Park.
But Dr Khorana pointed out that some regions in the city's west did favour the Liberals.
"This shows that there may be some differences in the Indian diaspora based on class, occupation and time of migration," she told the ABC.
Sydney legal professional Akshay was among the Labor supporters.
"We want people that we can trust, who can show a clear plan for their policies to be elected," he told the ABC.
"I definitely feel the Labor Party did this in Western Sydney. They had a positive message of working together, of community and cohesion."
One of the factors behind this preference for Labor could be the diaspora's concern about "othering" of migrant communities, Dr Khorana said.
"A section of the Indian diaspora felt strongly about the scapegoating of migrants and international students by the Coalition."
Some in the community point to Liberal leader Peter Dutton linking immigration to policy challenges such as Australia's housing crisis.
Akshay said that rhetoric alienated many in the community.
The 31-year-old said Labor's win trumped a "rhetoric against anyone who wasn't born and raised here or a 'white Australian'".
For some Indian Australians, support for Labor goes back decades.
The father of Melbourne psychologist Annika has supported Labor since arriving in Australia in 1971.
"My frail 82-year-old father is thrilled about Labor winning the election," she told the ABC.
She said her father was a big supporter of former leaders like Gough Whitlam.
"I know he feels a deep sense of gratitude to them for allowing him to make a permanent home in Australia," she said.
Economy, health and education are the most important issues for South Asian voters, based on 2023-24 research by Dr Khorana and her colleagues.
For Sydney small business owner Anu Bedi, the Liberal Party has always been "more business-focused in a traditional economic sense".
It's why she voted for them, as she has done for years.
"Their policies focus on tax incentives, deregulation and pro-growth strategies," Ms Bedi told the ABC.
However, Ms Bedi did say that during this election the party "missed the nuance of what small/medium businesses need at the grassroots".
"Liberal leadership has also struggled with consistent female representation and genuine gender and cultural equity at the top levels," she said.
But Ms Bedi is also critical of Labor.
"Their policies are supposed to favour social equity and trying to elevate marginalised voices," she said.
"So why do we have the highest cost of living ever seen?
"What did Labor do in the last three years to mitigate all this? The cost of living and the cost of doing business is through the roof and small businesses are on the cusp of collapse."
Numbered at more than 916,000, people born in India make up the second-largest migrant group in Australia according to recent Bureau of Statistics data.
Over the last three years, that number has steadily increased.
Labor MP Tim Watts, who represents Gellibrand in Melbourne's multicultural west, described the Indian diaspora as part of "modern Australia".
"Being able to listen to, and engage with, Australians in these communities is fundamental to being an elected representative in Australia today," Mr Watts told the ABC.
Mr Watts said the Indian community was "as diverse as India itself".
He's seen their population in his electorate grow over the decade he's been in parliament.
Liberal MP Jason Wood was re-elected to parliament at this election and represents the seat of La Trobe in the outer south-east of Melbourne, which also has a big Indian community.
He said their contributions to society were "enormous".
"They make up our doctors, our engineers, our businesses," Mr Wood told the ABC.
"It's just amazing what they've done."
Mr Wood said he had been a big supporter of Indian events and businesses.
"Any time I attend an event for the Indian community, whether it's a religious festival or a fundraiser, the people are filled with so much light and there is always so much colour."