Gladys Berejiklian is Liberals’ first premier

Gladys Berejiklian is the Liberal Party’s first female premier in its near-75 year history.

Gladys Berejiklian at Government House. Picture: Toby Zerna

Gladys Berejiklian is the Liberal Party’s first female premier in its almost 75-year history.

Her elevation to the top job in the “premier state” represents a leap forward for conservative women around Australia. Frankly, it has taken far too long.

A large factor in the Liberals’ success after its founding in 1944 was support from women. Organisations such as Australian Women’s National League were important in the party’s rapid growth in the 1940s and 50s.

But the only head of government the Liberals could claim was Kate Carnell, ACT chief minister from 1995-2000. The first female head of government in Australia was Labor’s Rosemary Follett in the ACT (1989, 1991-95).

Labor’s Clare Martin was chief minister in the Northern Territory (2001-07) and Katy Gallagher was a Labor chief minister in the ACT (2011-14).

Labor can claim six premiers: Carmen Lawrence (Western Australia, 1990-93); Joan Kirner (Victoria, 1990-92); Anna Bligh (Queensland, 2007-12); Kristina Keneally (NSW, 2009-11); Lara Giddings (Tasmania, 2011-14); and Annastacia Palaszczuk (Queensland, 2015-present). And the first female prime minister, Julia Gillard (2010-13), was Labor.

It is true that many of these pioneering, talented and capable women were given the top jobs after their male predecessors had presided over governments that had lost political appeal.

There have been Liberal female deputy premiers such as Queensland’s Joan Sheldon, Tasmania’s Sue Napier and now Liza Harvey in WA. Julie Bishop is deputy Liberal leader in the Turnbull government. There have also been opposition leaders, such as NSW’s Kerry Chikarovski and South Australia’s Isobel Redmond.

Other notable Liberal women include Enid Lyons, the first to serve in federal cabinet; Annabelle Rankin, the first to hold a federal ministry; and Margaret Guilfoyle, the first to both serve in cabinet and administer a department.

None of this makes up for the Liberals not previously having a female premier. Berejiklian’s ascendancy is even more important because she has broken through the highly factionalised state party dominated by male powerbrokers. She should use this achievement to encourage women to join the Liberal Party and promote more women into parliament and cabinet.