Australia's Liberal Party has sparked controversy with its proposal to introduce gender quotas as part of an overhaul aimed at revitalising its presence of women in parliament. The move, outlined in a discussion paper circulated by the party's internal review body, comes after successive federal election defeats and is seen as a bid to reconnect with voters – particularly young women who feel alienated from the party.
The discussion paper proposes several options to boost female representation, including requiring a proportion of winnable seats to be held by female candidates, offering 'bonus weighting' in preselection processes, or mandating a minimum number of female candidates for preselection ballots. Other suggestions are modelled on foreign systems, such as the US-style 'open primaries' and a localised version of the UK Conservative Party's 'A-list', which previously identified potential candidates.
Despite opposition from some within the party – notably Opposition Leader Angus Taylor – who has publicly rejected the idea, the discussion paper acknowledges that significant change will be met with resistance. However, it argues that if the party wants to secure a different outcome, it must be willing to take bold action: 'if we want a different outcome, we need to be prepared to do things differently,' it stresses.
Currently, women make up just 33% of Liberal and Queensland LNP parliamentarians across Australia, with men outnumbering them four-to-one in the lower house in Canberra. The party's internal review highlights the pressing need for reform, pointing out that its ageing membership base is dwindling, while multicultural communities and young people are increasingly turning away.
The review follows a period of significant electoral setbacks for the Liberal Party, which has lost seats in urban areas and seen core demographics defect to other parties. The commission's chair, Queensland Senator James McGrath, has noted that the party holds few seats in key demographics, membership is ageing, campaign resources are stretched, and internal structures need overhaul – fuelling concerns about its long-term viability.