Environment Minister Melissa Price has blasted one of her own Liberal Party colleagues for saying she is on her “L-plates” in the job, inflaming a dispute over whether she offended a Pacific Island leader by saying the region was “always” seeking cash from Australia.

Ms Price said she was “deeply wounded” at the criticism from former international development minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and would be calling to tell her so.

The comments came after Senator Fierravanti-Wells wrote in Fairfax Media on Wednesday that it was “regrettable” that Ms Price had offended the former president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, in a Canberra restaurant last month.

Witnesses to the exchange told Fairfax Media that Ms Price told Mr Tong, a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, that she had her “chequebook” ready because it was “always about the cash” when Pacific Island leaders came to Australia.