Linda Reynolds has backflipped on the need for gender-based quotas in the Liberal Party, conceding they should be considered after the party's worst federal election defeat in four decades.
Liberal Senator Linda Reynolds has backflipped on the need for gender-based quotas, conceding the party should consider enforcing them temporarily after its worst federal election defeat in four decades.
The Liberal Party of Australia bore the brunt of what has been dubbed the ‘McGowan effect’ in the west, losing five seats; including the once blue-ribbon seat of Curtin.
But the election result is also being attributed to the coalition having fallen out of favour with female voters, which it has been losing for the past 20 years.
As the Liberals begin unpacking what went wrong, several senior women in the party, including deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley, have pushed for more ambitious gender targets.
The party currently has 19 women across both the upper and lower house, meaning they make up just 28 per cent.
Ms Ley wants the proportion of women to reach 50 per cent within the next three years, which would help it better mirror the makeup of the Australian Labor Party, which enforced gender quotas back in 1994.
The former defence minister told Business News’ political editor Gary Adshead on 6PR this morning that reaching that target was unlikely given the inaction today, but insisted it was a worthy cause.
Ms Reynolds, who had argued against gender quotas as recently as 2020, told Adshead the election was a watershed one for Australian women and sent a clear message that it was time for change.
“[Women] have certainly found their voice and their passion for politics and I think they're telling us a very clear message,” she said.
“We've got to listen, and we've got to learn, and we have to act.
“I've not been a big fan of them [gender quotas], but we need to put everything on the table, I think, and work out how we not only hear what women have told us, but also act to make it far easier for great women to take office bearing positions in our party and stand as candidates.”
The matter is expected to be raised at the party’s state conference later this month, where Ms Reynolds has agreed the party will need to deliver more than just lip service.
She said the damning report into the party tabled last year following the state election loss had recognised the issue of gender needed to be dealt with, but that it could not be tackled without first addressing barriers to women’s participation in the party.
“I mean, there is no question; we have to face up to the fact that we have been losing female voters since 2001,” she said.
“We have to do more than talk about it, we have to set targets.
“I've had so many women, including those in Curtin, who have told me they support the party and its principles, but don't think it really represents them or don't think we're listening.
“We have to hear what they're telling us and we have to change the way we do things and we engage.
“Not everything is going to happen on that one weekend, but I think we can demonstrate to ourselves and the Australian public that we are capable of tackling what ails us.
“Because ultimately, we need to have a strong liberal party for democracy for the health of democracy here in Western Australia and we're not there.”
