Liberal’s women are the new ‘forgotten people’

Illustration: Eric Lobbecke.

There was a point during Tony Abbott’s eight-minute speech on Friday night at the Balgowlah RSL when almost a third of preselectors for his seat of Warringah felt like “calling for Ruth”. It had nothing to do with gender wars. For those unfamiliar with old Australianisms, they were in danger of throwing up.

It was the moment Abbott paid tribute to the Turnbull government’s achievements, quickly followed by his declaration that he felt “entirely vindicated” by the policies of the Morrison government. Abbott stressed the importance of everyone rallying around the government and staying ­united, especially as he still had “a good deal of public life left in me” — which everyone takes to mean he wants to be opposition leader after the election.

When the time came for pre­selectors to tick off on his endorsement, a good percentage of them showed what they thought of him, his behaviour during the past three years and his policy positions. With an official vote of 68 for him, 30 for Nobody, Definitely Not Abbott, and two informal — it was his second empty-chair moment.

The first was in February 2015 when two disgruntled backbenchers decided they’d had enough and moved a spill motion. Six months later his prime ministership was over.

Last weekend, those who attended the meeting estimated there were between 30 and 40 votes against Abbott. Other reports suggested there were 38 for, 46 against and nine informal. Estimates abounded because on the night the chairman, Greg Smith, refused to announce the result despite a formal request from the floor from former Liberal senator Chris Puplick. Heated exchanges followed between Abbott’s opponents and supporters.

Smith accused those demanding the numbers of being out to wreck. Liberal Party federal vice-president Teena McQueen, a diehard Abbott supporter, argued it was for the good of the party to withhold the numbers. His opponents said failure to disclose rendered Abbott’s preselection illegit­imate, and made a mockery of his campaign for greater democracy and transparency.

The strength of anti-Abbott sentiment was accentuated by subsequent votes in which Abbott’s candidate, Walter Villatora, who did have competitors, was smashed for the position of the Warringah Federal Electorate Conference’s vice-president in two ballots. In the first he went down 66 to 44, in the second 62 to 22, with 17 voting “other”.

Some are happy to downplay the significance of that night. Abbott’s colleagues do not. Not even the conservatives. They are not grateful for his part in the events of three weeks ago. They worry if a high-profile independent such as Northern Beaches mayor Michael Regan decides to run, Warringah will come into play. If Kerryn Phelps beats Dave Sharma in Wentworth, Regan could well be tempted to have a go.

There were a couple of reasons for Friday night’s empty chair. Abbott’s opponents decided months ago they did not want to turn him into a martyr, nor did they want the prospective chal­lenger — a well-credentialed woman — subjected to the media’s Bullies and Co, who respond venomously to any whiff of criticism of Abbott or their own loopy agendas.

Liberal women are now caught in a vice. If they complain about bullying, Bullies and Co vilify them for being weak, or wreckers, or liars. If they don’t complain — and let’s be clear, there is a not-so-subtle campaign to bully or shame them into silence — the thugs will continue. Nothing will change.

If women nominate for preselection and win, they risk accusations they have won only because of their gender. It diminishes their victory and their sense of achievement. If they lose, it’s because they were lousy candidates, not because male powerbrokers were dispensing favours to pets.

Liberals hold a preselection, the first grassroots plebiscite in the bush, in the marginal NSW seat of Eden-Monaro on Saturday. Interestingly, the preselection will take place in Cooma, where locals report there is not an empty shop in sight — thanks, they say, to Malcolm Turnbull’s Snowy 2.0.

There are two female candidates — Fiona Kotvojs and Jo Leatham — and a man, Nigel Catchlove. The women won’t thank me for naming them. They have insisted on little or no profile. They don’t want anyone saying at the end of the process — assuming one of them wins — that it was because of the gender/culture/bullying wars now playing out.

Nominations for the seat closed on April 27, so the fact there are two women has nothing to do with the past few weeks, but the shortfall in Liberal women was an issue well before that.

There is something rotten in the party’s culture, a nastiness not seen before. Scott Morrison must address it in whatever time he has as leader. It was wrong to assert, despite the public comments of MPs such as Julie Bishop, Kelly O’Dwyer, Linda Reynolds, Ann Sudmalis and Lucy Gichuhi that if there’s a problem it is in the states.

Morrison has not been responding as leader of his party or as Prime Minister but as a politician trying to shut down a distraction because of fears people will think the government remains focused on its internals. Bullying exists in every workplace, every schoolyard. As well as having a duty of care to all his MPs and their staff — which Abbott, to his great cost, ignored — he must send a message of zero tolerance.

It was rash to say he was 100 per cent certain there was no problem in the federal parliamentary party, as if what the bully boys and girls do to his MPs once they get to their home states makes it someone else’s problem.

Trying to defend the number of female federal Liberals, Defence Industry Minister Steve Ciobo cited the Coalition’s strong history of female representation. Ciobo, who should work harder to restore his credibility, is right to this extent. It is history. Today the situation is woeful and will almost certainly worsen.

McQueen, who is on the federal executive that Morrison says must sort out the mess, told women to suck it up. She said they should put up or shut up and accused them of wanting the spoils of victory without the fight. That will have them flocking to sign up.

Women in politics know full well what it takes to succeed. It is rightly tough and it can sometimes be cruel. The stakes are high and the choices difficult. However, there used to be a civil framework around even the most robust ­debates. There used to be a place in parliament for gentle men and women. Not any longer.