New federal Young Liberal vice-president Jocelyn Sutcliffe attacks female quotas ahead of landmark role

One of the state’s rising star Liberal political operatives has publicly attacked female quotas as she becomes the first South Australian woman to hold an important party role.

Lawyer Jocelyn Sutcliffe is considered a bright young Liberal star. Picture: MATT LOXTON

Bullied, denied preselection in safe seats and forced to endure an oppressive boys’ club.

That’s the public impression that has built up over months of debate about the Coalition’s treatment of women.

The numbers are stark: Just a fifth of Coalition MPs are women — 19 of 83 Liberals and only two of 22 Nationals, compared to Labor’s 44 of 95.

On present polling, many of those female Coalition MPs would lose their seats at the upcoming election.

And to make matters worse, Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer has announced she is leaving politics to try for a third child after the tragic revelation she suffered a miscarriage in Parliament.

Her decision comes less than two months after she delivered an extraordinary spray at the right wing of her party in which she said the Liberals were widely regarded as “anti-women”.

In such an environment, you might think a young, female rising star of the party would be inclined to push for the Liberals to follow Labor’s lead and introduce a quota for female MPs.

But not Adelaide lawyer Jocelyn Sutcliffe, 27, who will this week become the new federal Young Liberal vice-president after being elected unopposed.

In an outspoken public intervention ahead of an annual general meeting of the Young Liberals next Sunday, she has hit out at calls for quotas that “do no favours for women”.

Incoming federal Young Liberal Party vice president Jocelyn Sutcliffe with former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Federal MP for Boothby Nicolle Flint. Picture: Supplied

“They diminish the important, grassroots preselection process that operates within the organisational and parliamentary wing of the Liberal Party,” she told The Advertiser.

“At the core of Liberal values is the role of the individual. We believe in individual initiative, drive and success and importantly, we believe in opportunity and reward for effort.

“These values are consistent with the strong objection towards quotas within the Young Liberal Movement and broader party membership.”

Ms Sutcliffe, a former state Young Liberal president and staffer for Australian Conservatives Senator Cory Bernardi before he quit the Liberals, is the first female federal vice-president to come from SA.

She joins an illustrious roll-call of SA colleagues who have held the role in its 73-year history including federal Defence Minister and Sturt MP Christopher Pyne and state MP for Waite Sam Duluk.

Liberal sources say Ms Sutcliffe, educated at eastern suburbs all-girls Loreto College, is considered a bright young conservative star and possible politician.

The Tindall Gask Bentley personal injury and criminal lawyer urged her party to “not play politics with the role of women”.

Ms Sutcliffe, of Hazelwood Park, said she earned her new role without a quota, which reflected the success of internal party processes.

She is the latest in a line of prominent Liberal women, including MPs, who have recently publicly defended the party’s gender record in the face of mounting criticism.

“There are many women within our party, both at the organisational and parliamentary level, achieving success on account of their individual merit whilst upholding our values,” she said.

“We don’t want a handout by imposing quotas. A hand up, through increased mentoring and support, will see Liberal women achieve great things.”

Asked if she wanted to be an MP, she replied: “I never discount any opportunities that come my way, be that professional or political.”

Labor has had a field day over the Government’s supposed “women problem”.

Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek, who has raised three children while in Parliament, said she understood the pressure Ms O’Dwyer was under, but the Liberals had “failed to make juggling motherhood and ministerial duties any easier”.

“One of the differences the Liberal Party could make to make it easier to retain people like Kelly O’Dwyer on the front bench is increase the number of women in their parliamentary party,” she said.

SA Labor senator Penny Wong has also spoken of a “deep cultural problem inside the Liberal Party”.

Nicolle Flint, who holds the marginal Adelaide seat of Boothby for the Liberals, this month said Labor’s use of quotas was a smokescreen for policy inaction.

“I have never been bullied in the Liberal Party,” she said.

“I was supported on my merits. Labor play the gender card, play identity politics, have quotas — not merit-based selection — because they need to distract from the fact they have done so little for women.”

Assistant Home Affairs Minister Linda Reynolds claimed Opposition Leader Bill Shorten had “shamelessly politically weaponised this issue”.

And Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he “inherited” a decade-low number of female MPs and candidates in the federal Liberals, but his policies for women were more important than parliamentary representation of them.

Jocelyn Sutcliffe with Premier Steven Marshall. Picture: Supplied

Jocelyn Sutcliffe with Former Prime Minister John Howard. Picture: Supplied

Acting Premier Vickie Chapman congratulated Ms Sutcliffe, saying: “The more young girls see women in public life and senior leadership positions, the more they will be encouraged to put their hand up for these roles.

“Politics is a challenging career no matter what gender you are, but it’s great to see the first South Australian woman to hold the position of vice-p resident of the federal Young Liberals.”

Liberal Party state director Sascha Meldrum and Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said Ms Sutcliffe was “highly capable”.