Sussan Ley says she is an ‘absolute zealot’ for more women in Liberal Party but has not committed to introducing quotas

The Opposition Leader has doubled down on her stance on gender quotas as a way of increasing the number of women in the party.

Liberal leader Sussan Ley says she is an “absolute zealot” for increasing female representation in the party but has refused to endorse gender quotas after two senior Liberal women hinted the party could reconsider the measure.

Ms Ley was asked on Friday morning whether the party was facing extinction over internal party division on efforts to increase the number of women in the parliamentary party.

“It’s a stark reality that when I walk into the parliament on the first day, I’ll be sitting there as the leader opposite the Prime Minister, there will be five Liberal women sitting behind me, and that’s a real call to action. So there’s not division across our party,” Ms Ley said.

“We must get more women in our ranks, preselected in winnable seats in the lead-up to the next election.”

Ms Ley said she was “agnostic” about how the party got more women into its ranks but “an absolute zealot that we make it happen”.

Sussan Ley says the Liberal Party is facing a ‘real call to action’ to increase its number of women. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

It comes after South Australian senator Anne Ruston opened the door to using gender quotas, saying the party can “no longer rule out the temporary use of quotas as an option”.

Ms Ruston had previously rejected gender quotas in 2021 but said given that the party had not met its targets, other measures had to be considered.

“We must encourage more women to join the Liberal Party, and we must get Liberal women into the parliament,” Ms Ruston said.

Coalition women spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh also hinted that the party should consider quotas.

“We shouldn’t be closing the door to any possible work to be done within the party, whether they are quotas or targets … but the work should be done and then we can have an evidence-based position on whether we should be adopting quotas.”

Ms Ley was grilled on Thursday morning about whether senior male figures in the party – including Tony Abbott and Angus Taylor – who were opposed to quotas were part of the problem.

“So some of our strongest advocates are the men in the party, and I know that we as a parliamentary team want to get this right, and I’ve seen some great approaches by the men in the party in mentoring women to come into our party,” Ms Ley said.

Angus Taylor says quotas subvert the democratic process. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor was asked on Friday morning for his position on quotas and gave a hard no.

“I have never been a supporter of quotas,” Mr Taylor said.

“Because I don’t believe in subverting democratic processes. The Labor Party does, we traditionally haven’t in the Liberal Party. I think there’s better ways of achieving this. I have found that in my own professional career.”

Originally published as Sussan Ley says she is an ‘absolute zealot’ for more women in Liberal Party but has not committed to introducing quotas