Charitably, that could reflect different preoccupations for the Muslim community during Ramadan or that the daily cut and thrust of state politics mean little at street level. But it also suggests Mr Foley needs to be much more visible in his own electorate. "If he wants to be the next premier, he probably has to get out here and start talking to people," Joseph Nahabedian said on his lunch break at Auburn shops. "I'm hoping that he's not racist because if he's the local member here, he's not going down very well in the next election." Mr Nahabedian, whose parents came from Lebanon more than 30 years ago, noted there were still a lot of "white people" around the shops. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "We're all different cultures here and we all live happily together," he said. "That's Australia though."

But Ghada Ismail, who has lived in the Lidcombe, Auburn and Granville area all her life, was troubled by the phrase "white flight" especially given "Anglo Saxon Australians have long been leaving the area as it became more multicultural''. "I consider myself Australian, being born here and raised here," she said. "It's not very nice using that term 'white' because there are Australians from different colours and races." Despite Mr Foley's apology, Issa Jebara, who grew up in Auburn with Lebanese-Australian parents and now lives at Guildford, thought the comments would affect his popularity in his electorate. "If he's going to throw comments like that - with the support of a group like One Nation with their ... racist remarks - no-one will vote for him. He'll definitely lose a lot of support." On his way into the Auburn Gallipoli Mosque, Mr Jebara rejected the notion of "white flight" in the area.

"I know a lot of white people that have lived here and are still here," he said. "The house prices are going up. A lot of people are selling up and moving away. "But it's not just white people. It's everyone in general." Imran Khan with son Ibraheem and friend Naveed outside the Auburn Gallipoli Mosque. Credit:Janie Barrett Leaving the Mosque, Ali Azhar Usman said he had lived in Auburn for more almost 15 years but his children - like many of his friends' children - had moved away in recent years. "It's nothing to do with [white flight]," he said. "It's just a thing. "I migrated from Pakistan 30-odd years ago to a white country but progress happens."

Mr Usman did not believe Mr Foley's Opposition leadership should be threatened by his comments. "Demographically, no-one cares a damn about what he says," he said. "He should be in the community more - at least once a month. In summertime, there are a lot of barbecues happening in Auburn ... he should come and join in." Leaving the mosque with his three-year-old son Ibraheem, Indian-born Imran Khan was also troubled by the phrase "white flight" given he had previously voted for Mr Foley. "That's not a correct comment that he should have made at this point in time," he said. His friend who only wished to be known as Naveed was upset the comments came during Ramadan.