The climate won't change for the Liberals without more women and fewer oldies
If the Liberals have any sense, they won't waste too much time blaming their shocking election result on Peter Dutton, Donald Trump, Cyclone Alfred, the party secretariat, an unready shadow ministry or any other 'proximate cause', as economists say. Why not? Because none of these go to the heart of their party's problem.
The Liberals' problem is that Australia has changed but their party hasn't. They're like someone still driving a Holden Commodore: a great car in its day but looking pretty outdated today.
In other words, the Libs' problem is structural, not merely cyclical. It can't be fixed just by finding a more attractive leader – not unless that leader has the authority to make what many Liberal MPs and party members would regard as radical changes.
Liberal leaders have been aware of their party's two key problems for some years without facing up to them. The first is their 'women problem'. While Labor has put much effort into increasing the proportion of women among its parliamentary members and ministers, the Libs have been quite half-hearted about it, refusing to use quotas to speed up the process.
I'm sure Labor people have been sincere in believing a roughly 50-50 split should become the norm, but I'm equally sure they're aware of the political advantage that comes with making sure they attract the votes of at least half the female voters, and preferably more.
Loading
Go back far enough and you find Australia's women slightly more attracted to the Coalition than Labor. Not these days. The Australian National University's Australian Election Study, which uses polling of people after they've voted – at the democracy sausage stage – found that, in the previous, 2022 federal election, while 38 per cent of male respondents voted for the Coalition, only 32 per cent of females did.
I'd be surprised if that disparity was much reduced on Saturday, and not surprised if it had increased. Surely a party incapable of attracting its share of the female half of the voting population is a party without a bright future.
Did you notice Monday's photo of Labor's just-elected federal members in Brisbane? Seven broadly smiling, youngish women. A lot of them who'd just taken seats from the Libs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
China sends vice premier to UK for trade talks with US
China's foreign ministry says Vice Premier He Lifeng will visit the United Kingdom for talks with representatives from the United States. The first meeting of the China-US economic and trade consultation mechanism will be held with the United States during this visit, the ministry said. The vice premier will be in the UK between Sunday and Friday, Chinese officials said. He led the Chinese side in the first round of trade talks that took place in Switzerland in May. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the United States in the talks.
ABC News
3 hours ago
- ABC News
Elon Musk deletes post claiming Donald Trump is 'in the Epstein files'
Elon Musk has deleted an allegation linking Donald Trump with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that he posted on social media this week. The tech billionaire alleged on Thursday that the Republican leader is featured in secret government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while he faced sex trafficking charges. The Trump administration has acknowledged it is reviewing tens of thousands of documents, videos and investigative material that his "MAGA" movement says will unmask public figures complicit in Epstein's crimes. "Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files," Musk posted on his social media platform X, as his growing feud with the president boiled over into a spectacularly public row. "That is the real reason they have not been made public." Mr Musk did not reveal which files he was talking about, and offered no evidence for his claim. In fact, he wrote in a follow-up message: "Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out." However, he appeared to have deleted both tweets by Saturday morning. Supporters on the conspiratorial end of Trump's base allege that Epstein's associates had their roles in his crimes covered up by government officials and others. They point the finger at Democrats and Hollywood celebrities — although not at Trump himself. No official source has ever confirmed that the president appears in any of the material. The US president knew and socialised with Epstein, but has denied spending time on Little Saint James, the private island in the US Virgin Islands where prosecutors alleged Epstein trafficked underage girls for sex. "Terrific guy," Mr Trump, who was Epstein's neighbour in both Florida and New York, said in an early-2000s profile of the financier. "He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." Just last week, Mr Trump gave Mr Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship imploded within days as Mr Musk described as an "abomination" a spending bill that, if passed by Congress, could define the president's second term in office. Mr Trump hit back in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row escalated, leaving Washington and riveted social media users alike stunned by the blistering break-up between the world's richest person and the world's most powerful. With real political and economic risks to their row, both men appeared to inch back from the brink of all-out war on Friday, but the White House denied reports the pair were scheduled to speak on the phone. AFP
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Pride march through Washington in defiance of Trump
LGBTQI people from around the world are set to march through the streets of Washington in a joyful celebration meant to show defiance to President Donald Trump's roll-back of queer rights. The parade route will come within one block of the White House grounds, marking one of the final main events of the weeks-long WorldPride celebration. On Sunday, a more political event, dubbed a rally and march, will convene at the Lincoln Memorial, a revered space in the US civil rights movement as the site of Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream speech in 1963. Events will play out in the US capital in the wake of the Trump administration's measures to curtail LGBTQI rights. The Republican president has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banning transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinding anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQI people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. While proponents of DEI consider it necessary to correct historic inequities, the White House has described it as a form of discrimination based on race or gender, and said its transgender policy protects women by keeping transgender women out of shared spaces. Moreover, the White House said it has appointed some openly gay people to cabinet posts or judgeships, and noted that the Trump administration took steps to decriminalise homosexuality globally, and that its 2019 initiative "Ending the HIV Epidemic" aimed to cut HIV infections by 90 per cent by 2030. "The President is honoured to serve all Americans," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement. Event organisers said they were unaware of any counter-protests or anti-LGBTQI demonstrations planned for Saturday or Sunday. The National Park Service, however, has decided to fence off Dupont Circle, a popular public space, until Sunday night at the request of the US Park Police, which said closure was necessary to "secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences". Capital Pride Alliance, which is organising WorldPride events, said it was "frustrated and disappointed" at the closure. "This beloved landmark is central to the community that WorldPride intends to celebrate and honour," the alliance said. "It's much more than a park, for generations it's been a gathering place for DC's LGBTQ+ community, hosting First Amendment assemblies and memorial services for those we lost to the AIDS epidemic and following tragic events like the Pulse nightclub shooting." LGBTQI people from around the world are set to march through the streets of Washington in a joyful celebration meant to show defiance to President Donald Trump's roll-back of queer rights. The parade route will come within one block of the White House grounds, marking one of the final main events of the weeks-long WorldPride celebration. On Sunday, a more political event, dubbed a rally and march, will convene at the Lincoln Memorial, a revered space in the US civil rights movement as the site of Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream speech in 1963. Events will play out in the US capital in the wake of the Trump administration's measures to curtail LGBTQI rights. The Republican president has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banning transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinding anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQI people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. While proponents of DEI consider it necessary to correct historic inequities, the White House has described it as a form of discrimination based on race or gender, and said its transgender policy protects women by keeping transgender women out of shared spaces. Moreover, the White House said it has appointed some openly gay people to cabinet posts or judgeships, and noted that the Trump administration took steps to decriminalise homosexuality globally, and that its 2019 initiative "Ending the HIV Epidemic" aimed to cut HIV infections by 90 per cent by 2030. "The President is honoured to serve all Americans," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement. Event organisers said they were unaware of any counter-protests or anti-LGBTQI demonstrations planned for Saturday or Sunday. The National Park Service, however, has decided to fence off Dupont Circle, a popular public space, until Sunday night at the request of the US Park Police, which said closure was necessary to "secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences". Capital Pride Alliance, which is organising WorldPride events, said it was "frustrated and disappointed" at the closure. "This beloved landmark is central to the community that WorldPride intends to celebrate and honour," the alliance said. "It's much more than a park, for generations it's been a gathering place for DC's LGBTQ+ community, hosting First Amendment assemblies and memorial services for those we lost to the AIDS epidemic and following tragic events like the Pulse nightclub shooting." LGBTQI people from around the world are set to march through the streets of Washington in a joyful celebration meant to show defiance to President Donald Trump's roll-back of queer rights. The parade route will come within one block of the White House grounds, marking one of the final main events of the weeks-long WorldPride celebration. On Sunday, a more political event, dubbed a rally and march, will convene at the Lincoln Memorial, a revered space in the US civil rights movement as the site of Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream speech in 1963. Events will play out in the US capital in the wake of the Trump administration's measures to curtail LGBTQI rights. The Republican president has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banning transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinding anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQI people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. While proponents of DEI consider it necessary to correct historic inequities, the White House has described it as a form of discrimination based on race or gender, and said its transgender policy protects women by keeping transgender women out of shared spaces. Moreover, the White House said it has appointed some openly gay people to cabinet posts or judgeships, and noted that the Trump administration took steps to decriminalise homosexuality globally, and that its 2019 initiative "Ending the HIV Epidemic" aimed to cut HIV infections by 90 per cent by 2030. "The President is honoured to serve all Americans," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement. Event organisers said they were unaware of any counter-protests or anti-LGBTQI demonstrations planned for Saturday or Sunday. The National Park Service, however, has decided to fence off Dupont Circle, a popular public space, until Sunday night at the request of the US Park Police, which said closure was necessary to "secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences". Capital Pride Alliance, which is organising WorldPride events, said it was "frustrated and disappointed" at the closure. "This beloved landmark is central to the community that WorldPride intends to celebrate and honour," the alliance said. "It's much more than a park, for generations it's been a gathering place for DC's LGBTQ+ community, hosting First Amendment assemblies and memorial services for those we lost to the AIDS epidemic and following tragic events like the Pulse nightclub shooting." LGBTQI people from around the world are set to march through the streets of Washington in a joyful celebration meant to show defiance to President Donald Trump's roll-back of queer rights. The parade route will come within one block of the White House grounds, marking one of the final main events of the weeks-long WorldPride celebration. On Sunday, a more political event, dubbed a rally and march, will convene at the Lincoln Memorial, a revered space in the US civil rights movement as the site of Martin Luther King Jr's I Have a Dream speech in 1963. Events will play out in the US capital in the wake of the Trump administration's measures to curtail LGBTQI rights. The Republican president has issued executive orders limiting transgender rights, banning transgender people from serving in the armed forces, and rescinding anti-discrimination policies for LGBTQI people as part of a campaign to repeal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. While proponents of DEI consider it necessary to correct historic inequities, the White House has described it as a form of discrimination based on race or gender, and said its transgender policy protects women by keeping transgender women out of shared spaces. Moreover, the White House said it has appointed some openly gay people to cabinet posts or judgeships, and noted that the Trump administration took steps to decriminalise homosexuality globally, and that its 2019 initiative "Ending the HIV Epidemic" aimed to cut HIV infections by 90 per cent by 2030. "The President is honoured to serve all Americans," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in a statement. Event organisers said they were unaware of any counter-protests or anti-LGBTQI demonstrations planned for Saturday or Sunday. The National Park Service, however, has decided to fence off Dupont Circle, a popular public space, until Sunday night at the request of the US Park Police, which said closure was necessary to "secure the park, deter potential violence, reduce the risk of destructive acts and decrease the need for extensive law enforcement presences". Capital Pride Alliance, which is organising WorldPride events, said it was "frustrated and disappointed" at the closure. "This beloved landmark is central to the community that WorldPride intends to celebrate and honour," the alliance said. "It's much more than a park, for generations it's been a gathering place for DC's LGBTQ+ community, hosting First Amendment assemblies and memorial services for those we lost to the AIDS epidemic and following tragic events like the Pulse nightclub shooting."
