Defeated Coalition prepares to man the gate over perceived ‘women problem’
Senior Liberal figures are split on whether the party should implement a quota system to combat a perception the party has a problem with women.
Senior Liberal figures are split on whether the party should implement a quota system to combat a perception the party has a problem with women after six female teal independents swept into power on a platform of climate, integrity in politics and gender equality.
A swath of female independents who unseated some of the Liberals’ most moderate MPs has sparked fears the party mishandled its pitch to female voters, with several of the lost inner-city electorates having above-average shares of female voters.
Outgoing Regionalisation Minister Bridget McKenzie told The Australian, while she was proud of what the Coalition had achieved for women, it had failed to showcase its parliamentary female talent compared to Labor.
“At a policy level am very proud of our economic and social initiatives that delivered real change for Australian women. Also proud that a record number of women in cabinet in our nations history,” she said.
“Despite this fact I acknowledge that polls consistently showed that women did not feel the Coalition understood or reflected their views.
“Labor was able to better showcase their team of competent strong women on their front bench than the Coalition were.”
Josh Frydenberg’s seat of Kooyong – which looks set to fall to Climate 200 independent Monique Ryan – has the fourth highest share of female voters in any seat in the country with 52.6 per cent, or more than one percentage point above the national average of 51.2 per cent.
Outgoing Liberal MP Tim Wilson’s former Victorian inner-city electorate of Goldstein, won by independent MP Zoe Daniel, has the sixth largest share of female voters with 52.4 per cent.
Warringah and Wentworth are also higher than the national average with 52.3 per cent and 52.2 per cent respectively.
The teals harnessed a growing discontent with the Coalition government through grassroots campaigns run on climate change action, integrity in politics and female empowerment.
Scott Morrison faced criticism from the Labor Party over his handling of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’ allegations she was raped in Parliament House.
His prime ministership was also marred by other scandals including assault allegations against Christian Porter and Alan Tudge, which they strenuously denied.
By comparison, Anthony Albanese heavily targeted female voters through key election planks of childcare and healthcare, and frequently reiterated a promise to implement all recommendations of the Jenkins review into parliamentary workplaces.
In the final days of his campaign, Mr Albanese was joined by former Labor prime minister and gender equality advocate Julia Gillard, who endorsed Labor as a “government for women”.
Former Liberal MP Christopher Pyne, who has previously rejected suggestions the Coalition should implement quotas in the same way the Labor Party has, conceded it was time to consider the measure following the electoral bloodbath. “We are going to have to face the facts about the current political scene,” Mr Pyne told the Seven Network. “They want women ... to change the dynamic, to change the culture.”
Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham said it was “absolutely” time to start preselecting more women, and argued that moderate Liberals had been hurt by the preselection of Katherine Deves in Warringah.
“I think these are issues we will have to clearly address,” he said. “We want to make sure we improve the Liberal vote and are competitive to win back safe seats like Warringah and ensure that we hold seats like North Sydney and Wentworth.”
NSW senator Hollie Hughes said quotas went completely against Liberal values of meritocracy, and the Coalition had invested more in women’s policies than ever. She denied Mr Morrison’s handling of the Higgins allegations or Jenkins report negatively impacted among female voters, and accused Labor of running a campaign based on “completely unfounded and untrue” claims.
NSW Liberal Women’s Council president Mary-Lou Jarvis also denied the Coalition had a “women’s problem” but conceded the party needed to change.
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