'Subverting democracy': Liberal hits out at quota push

The Advertiser

8 hours ago

A senior Liberal has doubled down on claims introducing gender quotas for female MPs would subvert democracy.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said while the Liberal Party needed more female representation in parliament following the party's bruising loss at the federal election, a quota was not the way to do it.
"I have never been a supporter of quotas because I don't believe in subverting democratic processes," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"We want to make sure that we are representative of our communities in every single way, and that includes gender. I'm not a believer in subverting democracy."
The comments come after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley used a speech at the National Press Club to urge for quotas for female MPs.
Of the 28 Liberals elected to the House of Representatives at the May election, just six are women.
When he was later asked to clarify his remarks, Mr Taylor denied he was undermining his leader.
"We absolutely agree on the importance of making sure we are attracting talented women, representatives from all of our communities across this great country to the Liberal Party," he told reporters in Canberra.
"This is a top priority for the party, and we are in absolute, furious agreement on that. I mean there's been no ambiguity about my position on quotas for many, many years."
Ms Ley said she was open to methods of how more women could be recruited to the party but stressed it had to take place after the bruising election defeat.
"We must get more women in our ranks, preselected, in winnable seats in the lead up to the next election," she told Nine's Today program on Friday.
"State divisions determine their own preselection policies and how they go about this, and I stand ready to work with them every step of the way to make sure we get the outcome that we all seek."
Labor introduced gender quotas for federal parliament in 1994, with women making up more than half of government lower house MPs as of 2025.
Mr Taylor said the party needed to try something new after the Liberals suffered their worst electoral performance since the 1940s.
"We do have to rebuild from the last election. We've got to learn from what worked and what didn't work and clearly, there was a lot that didn't work, and we do have to get onto policy development earlier," he said.
It comes as the Liberal party room met on Friday to discuss its internal review of its election drubbing.
The review is being conducted by former NSW state minister Pru Goward and former federal finance Nick Minchin.
The party room also met to discuss policy direction, with less than a month before federal parliament meets.
A senior Liberal has doubled down on claims introducing gender quotas for female MPs would subvert democracy.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said while the Liberal Party needed more female representation in parliament following the party's bruising loss at the federal election, a quota was not the way to do it.
"I have never been a supporter of quotas because I don't believe in subverting democratic processes," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"We want to make sure that we are representative of our communities in every single way, and that includes gender. I'm not a believer in subverting democracy."
The comments come after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley used a speech at the National Press Club to urge for quotas for female MPs.
Of the 28 Liberals elected to the House of Representatives at the May election, just six are women.
When he was later asked to clarify his remarks, Mr Taylor denied he was undermining his leader.
"We absolutely agree on the importance of making sure we are attracting talented women, representatives from all of our communities across this great country to the Liberal Party," he told reporters in Canberra.
"This is a top priority for the party, and we are in absolute, furious agreement on that. I mean there's been no ambiguity about my position on quotas for many, many years."
Ms Ley said she was open to methods of how more women could be recruited to the party but stressed it had to take place after the bruising election defeat.
"We must get more women in our ranks, preselected, in winnable seats in the lead up to the next election," she told Nine's Today program on Friday.
"State divisions determine their own preselection policies and how they go about this, and I stand ready to work with them every step of the way to make sure we get the outcome that we all seek."
Labor introduced gender quotas for federal parliament in 1994, with women making up more than half of government lower house MPs as of 2025.
Mr Taylor said the party needed to try something new after the Liberals suffered their worst electoral performance since the 1940s.
"We do have to rebuild from the last election. We've got to learn from what worked and what didn't work and clearly, there was a lot that didn't work, and we do have to get onto policy development earlier," he said.
It comes as the Liberal party room met on Friday to discuss its internal review of its election drubbing.
The review is being conducted by former NSW state minister Pru Goward and former federal finance Nick Minchin.
The party room also met to discuss policy direction, with less than a month before federal parliament meets.
A senior Liberal has doubled down on claims introducing gender quotas for female MPs would subvert democracy.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said while the Liberal Party needed more female representation in parliament following the party's bruising loss at the federal election, a quota was not the way to do it.
"I have never been a supporter of quotas because I don't believe in subverting democratic processes," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"We want to make sure that we are representative of our communities in every single way, and that includes gender. I'm not a believer in subverting democracy."
The comments come after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley used a speech at the National Press Club to urge for quotas for female MPs.
Of the 28 Liberals elected to the House of Representatives at the May election, just six are women.
When he was later asked to clarify his remarks, Mr Taylor denied he was undermining his leader.
"We absolutely agree on the importance of making sure we are attracting talented women, representatives from all of our communities across this great country to the Liberal Party," he told reporters in Canberra.
"This is a top priority for the party, and we are in absolute, furious agreement on that. I mean there's been no ambiguity about my position on quotas for many, many years."
Ms Ley said she was open to methods of how more women could be recruited to the party but stressed it had to take place after the bruising election defeat.
"We must get more women in our ranks, preselected, in winnable seats in the lead up to the next election," she told Nine's Today program on Friday.
"State divisions determine their own preselection policies and how they go about this, and I stand ready to work with them every step of the way to make sure we get the outcome that we all seek."
Labor introduced gender quotas for federal parliament in 1994, with women making up more than half of government lower house MPs as of 2025.
Mr Taylor said the party needed to try something new after the Liberals suffered their worst electoral performance since the 1940s.
"We do have to rebuild from the last election. We've got to learn from what worked and what didn't work and clearly, there was a lot that didn't work, and we do have to get onto policy development earlier," he said.
It comes as the Liberal party room met on Friday to discuss its internal review of its election drubbing.
The review is being conducted by former NSW state minister Pru Goward and former federal finance Nick Minchin.
The party room also met to discuss policy direction, with less than a month before federal parliament meets.
A senior Liberal has doubled down on claims introducing gender quotas for female MPs would subvert democracy.
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor said while the Liberal Party needed more female representation in parliament following the party's bruising loss at the federal election, a quota was not the way to do it.
"I have never been a supporter of quotas because I don't believe in subverting democratic processes," he told ABC Radio on Friday.
"We want to make sure that we are representative of our communities in every single way, and that includes gender. I'm not a believer in subverting democracy."
The comments come after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley used a speech at the National Press Club to urge for quotas for female MPs.
Of the 28 Liberals elected to the House of Representatives at the May election, just six are women.
When he was later asked to clarify his remarks, Mr Taylor denied he was undermining his leader.
"We absolutely agree on the importance of making sure we are attracting talented women, representatives from all of our communities across this great country to the Liberal Party," he told reporters in Canberra.
"This is a top priority for the party, and we are in absolute, furious agreement on that. I mean there's been no ambiguity about my position on quotas for many, many years."
Ms Ley said she was open to methods of how more women could be recruited to the party but stressed it had to take place after the bruising election defeat.
"We must get more women in our ranks, preselected, in winnable seats in the lead up to the next election," she told Nine's Today program on Friday.
"State divisions determine their own preselection policies and how they go about this, and I stand ready to work with them every step of the way to make sure we get the outcome that we all seek."
Labor introduced gender quotas for federal parliament in 1994, with women making up more than half of government lower house MPs as of 2025.
Mr Taylor said the party needed to try something new after the Liberals suffered their worst electoral performance since the 1940s.
"We do have to rebuild from the last election. We've got to learn from what worked and what didn't work and clearly, there was a lot that didn't work, and we do have to get onto policy development earlier," he said.
It comes as the Liberal party room met on Friday to discuss its internal review of its election drubbing.
The review is being conducted by former NSW state minister Pru Goward and former federal finance Nick Minchin.
The party room also met to discuss policy direction, with less than a month before federal parliament meets.