Sussan Ley says she's a ‘zealot' on recruiting more women to Liberal party – but stops short of endorsing quotas

The Guardian

5 hours ago

Sussan Ley has declared herself a 'zealot' on action to recruit more women to the Liberal ranks, but stopped short of endorsing quotas or other formal mechanisms to boost gender equity ahead of the next election.
Promising a second review on the future of the party in the wake of its 3 May drubbing by Labor, the opposition leader told the National Press Club development of a new energy and emissions policy, and reconsideration of net zero by 2050 commitments, would be led by a working group chaired by frontbencher Dan Tehan.
Ley will convene meetings of the shadow ministry and the Liberal party room this week, allowing MPs to air grievances about the election loss and contribute to a policy review being led by former Howard government minister Nick Minchin and former NSW state MP Pru Goward.
Queensland Liberal-Nationals senator James McGrath is expected to lead a second review on the party's future, including 'existential issues' facing the Liberal movement, its state and territory divisions and declining membership.
The first woman to lead the Liberal party and Australia's first female opposition leader, Ley said she was personally agnostic about whether quotas were needed to get more Liberal woman elected, insisting management of preselection processes was the responsibility of state divisions.
'Our party must preselect more women in winnable seats so that we see more Liberal women in federal parliament,' she said.
'Now, I'm agnostic on specific methods to make it happen, but I am a zealot that it does actually happen.
'Current approaches have clearly not worked, so I am open to any approach that will.'
Ley said she would personally work to recruit more women, part of her plan for the Coalition to better reflect modern Australia.
'If some state divisions choose to implement quotas, that is fine.
'If others don't, that is also fine. But what is not fine is not having enough women.'
Labor has easily outperformed the Coalition on gender representation in parliament for decades, after implementing the first quotas for female representation in the mid-1990s. A review of the Coalition's 2022 election loss recommended quotas be considered but the plan went nowhere under former leader Peter Dutton.
Only about 20% of lower house Liberal MPs are women, the same level as in the previous federal parliament. Labor has passed 50%.
Ley stopped short of endorsing net zero by 2050 emissions policies, amid a push by conservative Coalition MPs to ditch the plans. She has personally backed net zero in the past, saying there are 'huge advantages' from lowering carbon emissions.
A new working group led by the shadow energy and emissions reduction minister Tehan will including deputy leader and shadow treasurer Ted O'Brien, and frontbenchers Susan McDonald, Angie Bell, Alex Hawke, Dean Smith and Andrew Willcox.
Ley said policy parameters for the group require any plan to promote a stable energy grid, affordable and reliable power for households and businesses, and a cut to emissions 'so that we are playing our part in the global effort.'
Dutton refused to address the Press Club during his three-years leading the opposition. A large group of Liberal MPs were in the audience in Canberra for Wednesday's speech.
Asked the about Labor's plans to consider tax reform after the August productivity roundtable being convened by the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, Ley said she was unlikely to support increases, including to GST.
'As soon as you say there's a case for raising tax, my instinctive answer is 'no',' Ley said.
'In terms of the detail, we want to examine the proposals the government brings forward … Right here, right now in opposition, we need to hold them to account.'