Anger over Prentice dumping as super Saturday looms

The Turnbull government will not intervene to save Queensland MP and junior minister Jane Prentice after she lost preselection for the next election.

Ms Prentice, assistant minister for disability services, was dumped from re-contesting the safe seat of Ryan after losing a preselection battle to Brisbane city councillor Julian Simmonds on Saturday.

While the decision has again enlivened the debate over the Coalition's ability to retain and promote female MPs, Treasurer Scott Morrison defended the preselection process as "how these things work."

Mr Morrison said he could not see grounds for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull interfering with the outcome to save Ms Prentice.

"I couldn't see why. It is a matter for the LNP. That's how these things work," Mr Morrison told the ABC on Sunday. "I feel for Jane, she has done a great job, particularly as assistant minister."

Capricornia MP Michelle Landry - one of three female coalition Queensland MPs in the lower house - told the ABC she had been fielding calls from young women who were threatening to quit the party over the decision.

"We've hardly got any federal females in Queensland in the government and one has been pushed aside by a young male," she told the public broadcaster on Sunday.

Questioned on the issue, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten trumpeted Labor's credentials on female representation, while accusing Mr Turnbull of allowing women to become "an endangered species" in the government.

"I'm very pleased in Labor, up to 48 per cent of our parliamentarians are women," he said.

"I would encourage Mr Turnbull to intervene, to save a very capable minister."

Amid the dissatisfaction over Ms Prentice's dumping, the LNP will fight to reclaim the marginal seat of Longman at the looming "super Saturday" byelections, as four more scalps were claimed by the dual citizenship fiasco.

No date has been set as yet for the Super Saturday elections, which will decided a total of five seats - Longman in Queensland, Braddon in Tasmania, Mayo in South Australia, Fremantle in Western Australia, and Perth in Western Australia.

Longman MP Susan Lamb - along with her Labor colleagues Fremantle MP Josh Wilson and Braddon MP Justine Keay - resigned last week following the high court's finding that Labor senator Katy Gallagher was dual citizen under section 44 of the constitution.

All three Labor MPs have pledged to recontest their seats.

Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, who also resigned last week, has confirmed she will recontest Mayo.

The Liberal party has not confirmed its candidates for the contests in Mayo and Longman. Georgina Downer, daughter of former foreign minister Alexander Downer, has nominated for the Mayo preselection.

In Tasmania, former Liberal MP Brett Whiteley will recontest his old seat of Braddon, which he held from 2013 to 2016 before being unseated by Ms Keay.

Perth is the only electorate not going to a citizenship-related byelection. Voters will instead elect a new representative after Labor member Tim Hammond resigned earlier this month for family reasons.

The WA Liberal Party has said it will not contest the Perth or Fremantle byelections, but will run candidates in both seats in the looming federal election.