Liberals can’t afford to ignore truth about quota debate | Kathryn Bermingham
Whether the Liberals like it or not, quotas for female members are the only way out, writes Kathryn Bermingham.
Opinion
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After the debate around gender quotas in the Liberal Party was again stoked this week, opponents within the party rolled out the same tired line.
“The Liberal Party always selects its candidates based on merit,” one told The Advertiser.
They want us to believe that every time a man has beaten a woman in the preselection process, it had nothing to do with factions, connections, gender or any other factor – just merit.
Surely not.
The issue has been brought into sharp focus, with the state Liberals locked in another battle over whether a woman should be selected to fill their most recent parliamentary vacancy.
This time, it’s an upper house spot that has opened up following the resignation of former health minister Stephen Wade.
In the circumstances, the case for quotas is strong.
Some in the party argue that their “women problem” applies only to the lower house.
In this house the Liberals have only two female MPs compared to Labor’s 14.
As one senior Liberal put it this week: “We are the party with the highest representation of women in the upper house”.
But a joint party room with 16 men (17 with Mr Wade) and seven women is hardly an ideal situation – even if the current vacancy is in the upper house, where the majority of those women sit.
As recent election results and subsequent reviews have indicated, the Liberals must change direction if they want to reclaim government anytime soon.
One thing they must overcome is a public perception that they are constantly at war with each other, and at times more focused on internal conflict than on governing.
While differences of opinion are inevitable, they must present a more united front to the public.
Weeks like this one, when debates about women’s representation play out in the media, are damaging for the party.
They’re also damaging for Opposition Leader David Speirs, who has again voiced his preference for a female candidate to fill the vacancy, and may again be overruled by his party.
Put simply, the introduction of gender quotas would mean one less thing to fight about.
A task-force that was assembled by Mr Speirs after Jack Batty was preselected for Vickie Chapman’s old seat of Bragg is due to report back in coming weeks.
It will make recommendations on how the party can better engage women, which could include introduction of quotas.
If quotas are recommended, they should be implemented and adhered to as a means of demonstrating the party’s commitment to becoming more reflective of our society.
If not, the Liberals must find another way to overcome round after round of damaging public debate over just how serious they are about improving women’s representation.
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