In 2014, the then governing Liberal Party of Australia came under fire. Yet they have failed to increase the proportion of women MPs. Even with all of these commitments and proposals to improve gender representation, the party is still facing some pretty serious issues.
Then in 2021, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a dramatic move. He stated his openness to discuss party-wide use of gender quotas. This declaration came after an extremely secretive report that the Liberal Party obtained back in 2011. The report sounded the alarm that the party was failing to provide a level playing field for women candidates. Overall, the report recommended a target of 50 percent female candidates by 2025, a target they have yet to reach.
The lack of representation on this issue is hardly a new complaint towards the Liberal Party. In 2016, the then Turnbull government signed onto the requirement to reach the 50 percent target with female MPs. Surprisingly, only six women from the Liberal Party will be taking their seats in the next parliament. This dark figure underscores a growing chasm between the words of our elected officials and the hard truth we’re confronted with.
Historical Context and Initiatives
The Liberal Party, while winning handily at times, lost important ground through its decades-long leadership on gender appropriately — particularly during two timely leadership transitions. Listen Margaret Guilfoyle made history, becoming Australia’s first female finance minister. Her success opened the floodgates for women in the party to rise to greater heights.
In 2005, then British Opposition Leader David Cameron came up with a “priority list” approach. His ambition was to increase the proportion of female Conservative MPs. A similar approach was taken by Nicolle Flint and Jason Falinski, who led the call for the Liberal Party themselves to commit to one in 2021. Flint and Falinski had suggested requiring women first priority for candidacies. This is indicative of a long overdue understanding that structural changes must be made in order to have gender equity on the inside of the party.
In electing women to federal parliament, the Victorian branch of the Liberal Party has a firm grip on the ‘club’. In reality, it has the worst track record in this regard over its first 25 years. These examples are a stark reminder that although progress is achievable, it can only happen with long-term dedication and deliberate, methodical effort.
Continuing Challenges
Yet these efforts have not shielded the Liberal Party from scorn for its poor record on women’s representation. In 2021, a leaked internal report made its way to the party’s federal executive. This raised major allegations of the abuse and harassment female candidates faced within the party. A quip by one critic is that implementation of the party was to act as though they’re functioning with no quotas, but in reality, they absolutely had them.
Can’t get through a day on social media without seeing a hearty critique of meritocracy, can you? Lastly, they contend it can be a misleadingly subjective metric that closes off opportunities to women applicants. This misconception has added hurdles for women trying to enter candidacy. Consequently, their fair and equal representation in parliament is directly impacted.
In Australia, new Liberal opposition leader Sussan Ley is aware that the time for inaction has passed. Her flagship initiative, 50/50 by 2030, aims to increase the number of women members of parliament. Her call for change reflects a growing awareness within the party of the importance of addressing gender imbalances and fostering an inclusive political landscape.
The Road Ahead
Looking ahead, the road to getting closer to achieving gender parity amongst Liberal MPs is still going to be an uphill battle. But despite this extensive effort, all of these past initiatives have failed to lead to strong, meaningful or permanent change. The Liberal Party must confront its internal culture and make substantive commitments to ensure that female candidates are supported and empowered.
Quotas have historically proven to be a key factor in keeping political parties on top within the female electorate. This direct, personal approach is what carried the Coalition all the way to 2001, but they have not been able to find similar success since. Political dynamics are fluid and ever-changing. To the Liberal Party, they need to understand that saying they are committed is not enough, and that they need to deliver real action.
