Women have won the Liberal Party battle. Now we need to win the war

In the words of modern poet and philosopher, Lizzo, it’s about damn time. The Liberal Party has elected Sussan Ley as its leader, the first woman to hold the position in the party’s 81-year history, and we’re just getting started.

This is not the first time our party has been at this crossroads. But it is the first time we have turned in the right direction.

Six years ago, Australia watched on as perennial and loyal deputy Julie Bishop stuck her head above the parapet and ran for leader. Despite being the most qualified to take over thanks to her 11 years as deputy under three different leaders, Bishop was swiftly put back in her place in the first round of voting, losing out to Peter Dutton and the ultimate victor, Scott Morrison. We all know how that turned out.

Sussan Ley has been named leader of the Liberal Party. She is the first woman to hold the position.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Australian women bore witness to a professional, competent and hardworking woman being overlooked for the top job – and it resonated. It sowed the seeds of resentment and repellence, and so began our party’s “women problem”.

Now, after voters left us with no other option but to listen, we are finally correcting our wrongs and doing something different.

It’s harder to shout “different” any louder than Sussan Ley. Born in Nigeria, the certified pilot has also worked as a farmer and shearer’s cook, and added an extra “s” to her name based on the principles of numerology. These unexpected quirks and experiences give Ley an edge and intrigue, but, ultimately, it’s her relatability as a mum of three and grandmother of six, and her background in economics and tax that will hold her in good stead for steering the Liberal Party ship.

While no doubt a victory for the women of the party, this must be only the beginning. We must continue to push for structural reform that will last well beyond Ley’s time as leader, no matter how successful she may be.

I firmly believe the Liberal Party desperately needs gender quotas. And I hope others are too. Kanter’s theory of critical mass finds that until a group advocating for change amounts to 30 per cent of a cohort, there is little it can achieve. Though just 21 per cent of federal Coalition MPs are women, that’s no reason to stop agitating. The election loss was devastating for the party on many fronts, but promising green shoots are emerging.

This election has also shown us what happens when competent Liberal women are preselected in seats previously held by Liberal men and take on teals. Gisele Kapterian, who took over from Paul Fletcher, looks set to retain the seat of Bradfield against independent Nicolette Boele. In Kooyong, Josh Frydenberg’s former electorate, Amelia Hamer came within a whisker of Monique Ryan. And in Monash, Mary Aldred is not only the first woman to ever hold the rural Victorian seat – she also beat longstanding Liberal MP Russell Broadbent for preselection. Broadbent, who then ran against her as an independent, had held the seat for the Liberals for 20 years. Voters sent a clear message to the party: they will support us when we put forward quality female candidates over maintaining the status quo.

But if we want Liberal women to have a substantial influence on the rebirth of our party, we have to keep choosing them. We also need to ensure that other women within the party are really, genuinely listened to.

Though there are valid fears Ley’s ascension may be a sign of the “glass cliff” at work (where women are appointed to leadership roles during times of crisis and later dropped when things have steadied), maybe the reason women are selected when organisations are on the verge of collapse is because they have leadership skills that men don’t – skills that enable them to more successfully navigate the times in which they find themselves. I’d also add that it’s usually men who have run it into such a precarious position in the first place.

But women only fall from the glass cliff when we allow them to, namely by failing to support them. That’s a mistake the party cannot afford to make with Ley. For years, voters have been telling us that they want change. This is an opportunity, and if we squander it, voters won’t hesitate to tell us what they think, just as they did on May 3.

Charlotte Mortlock is founder of Hilma’s Network and a former Sky News anchor.