Bishop reiterates how she could have reigned

Julie Bishop has remained defiant in her assertion she could have beaten Bill Shorten at the federal election.

Julie Bishop: “The reason I stood was because I believed I had support and I could beat the opposition.” Picture: Kym Smith

Julie Bishop has remained defiant in her assertion she could have beaten Bill Shorten at the federal election but Scott Morrison has refused to endorse her view as Labor seizes on divisions to release a new attack ad targeting the Liberal Party’s “women problem”.

Frustrated colleagues have hit back at Ms Bishop, who will retire from politics when the election is called, for her “self-indulgent” comments in a Sunday interview in which she claimed she could have defeated the Opposition Leader but was undermined from within ahead of last year’s leadership spill.

The former deputy Liberal leader and foreign minister said she was “just speaking the truth” before flying out of Perth yesterday.

“The reason I stood was because I believed I had support and I could beat the opposition, and that’s exactly what Peter Dutton thought and that’s what Scott Morrison thought,” Ms Bishop told Seven News.

The Prime Minister said he was committed to having at least a record seven women in his cabinet if he won the May election but would not say he backed Ms Bishop’s assessment she could have won against Mr Shorten.

“No. I’m just thanking Julie for her position and what she’s done for our party and I wish her well in her post-politics career,” he said.

Mr Morrison’s pledge to have seven female cabinet ministers, which The Australian understands would also apply to a shadow cabinet if he loses the election, means he must promote one woman into cabinet to replace outgoing Jobs and Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O’Dwyer.

Victorian senator Jane Hume, who has a background in the financial services industry and has worked for corporations, was considered by some Liberals as a good fit for a Treasury portfolio.

As a backbencher elected in 2016, others thought it more likely she’d be promoted into the ministry before becoming a cabinet minister.

Assistant ministers Sussan Ley — a former cabinet minister — Anne Ruston and Sarah Henderson were also named as possible candidates for a cabinet position, as was chief whip Nola Marino.

“I have no problem filling seven slots for women in my cabinet and potentially more because I’ve got so many great women to choose from,” Mr Morrison said.

Attempting to capitalise on Ms Bishop’s parting shots, Labor published an ad titled “The Liberals’ record with women” that depicted a number of Coalition MPs talking about the other sex.

Disgraced Nationals MP Andrew Broad — not a Liberal — led the video with contentious comments: “Politics is certainly gruelling. It is very gruelling on people who want to have a family and the very nature of biology is that it is tougher on women.”

Mr Shorten said he’d be “amazed” if he didn’t have more women in cabinet than the Coalition but would not confirm how many ministers would be female.

“We haven’t finalised our line-up. Who the ministry will be is ultimately decided by the parliamentary party, but I’d be amazed if we didn’t have more women in the cabinet and in the ministry and indeed the parliament because we are already are at 46 per cent (female representation). My choices and options … are so much more than the government,” he said.