Latest news with #womenrepresentation
ABC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Liberal Party leaders hit back at Alan Stockdale's comments on assertive women
Senior Liberal Party figures have moved to distance themselves from comments by the interim head of the NSW division suggesting women were "sufficiently assertive" and the party may have to "protect men's involvement". Former Victorian treasurer Alan Stockdale, who was brought in as an external administrator to run the troubled NSW division, made the remarks during a discussion about female representation and gender quotas at a meeting of the NSW Liberal Women's Council on Tuesday. "I think women are sufficiently assertive now that we should be giving some thought to whether we need to protect men's involvement," Mr Stockdale told the meeting. Federal Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, the first female leader of the federal parliamentary party, rejected the comments. "There is nothing wrong with being an assertive woman, in fact I encourage assertive women to join the Liberal Party," she said in a statement. NSW Upper House MP and former president of the NSW Liberal Women's Council, Jacqui Munro, said the comments were deeply unhelpful as the party reflects on the federal election loss. "It's pretty disappointing and not very funny, if he was trying to make a joke," she said. "This idea that it's a joke or in poor taste is just unbelievable at a time like this, we need leaders in the party that are focused on actually delivering for the people we want to support and that is, particularly, women. "That's what we've got to be focused on, not making poor taste jokes about how women are too assertive — it's just bizarre." The Liberal Party suffered one of its worst defeats in history at the May 3 election, winning just six federal seats in NSW. NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman also distanced himself from the comments. "I want more assertive women, not fewer assertive women in the Liberal party," he told 702 ABC Radio Sydney on Thursday. "Here in NSW, 45 per cent of our Liberal frontbench are female, 45 per cent of our party room are female, and we have to be a party that reflects the demographic range in NSW, particularly on gender. "We've made great gains in the last few years in making sure we've got adequate female representation, strong female representation."
Times of Oman
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Nigeria: Can a gender bill bring political inclusion?
Abuja: Women in Nigeria make up nearly half of the population, but they are almost invisible in parliament. The country's senate has only four women compared to 109 men. In the House of Representatives, female lawmakers occupy only 16 of the 360 seats. Even more surprising is that all of Nigeria's 36 governors are men. Gender rights advocates and civil society organisations are now throwing their weight behind new legislation known as the "Reserved Seat for Women bill," which could force change by reserving a set number of seats for women in federal and state legislatures. "Only 4.3% of Nigeria's federal lawmakers are women. That's not representation, That's exclusion," Osasu Igbinedion Ogwuche, a gender rights advocate in the Nigerian capital Abuja, who is promoting the passage of the new bill, told DW. "The current political landscape in Nigeria does not favour women's entrance into politics and governance because it's skewed from the very beginning," Ogwuche said, adding that the new bill would allow more women to contest for political office. "Reserving seats for women, particularly those with disabilities, is a crucial step forward in promoting inclusivity and representation currently lacking in Nigeria," Angelina Ugben, another proponent of the bill, told DW. Supporters of the bill say it could propel Nigeria towards a more inclusive governance. Ogwuche believes that more women in government could lead to smarter policies and a more stable economy. "Rwanda has outpaced Nigeria in gender equality and has seen better economic outcomes," she said. "We suffer from a healthcare emergency today; We suffer from an education crisis." For her, more women in governance could help improve these situations. "It's critical and the time is now to ensure that women get involved. When women rise, nations rise." Advertisement Nigeria ranks poorly in women's representation According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a Paris-based international organization of national parliaments, Nigeria ranks 179 out of 183 in terms of women's representation in national parliaments globally, despite being Africa's most populous country. "You can't claim to be a democracy when half the population is missing from the table," Hamzat Lawal, a civil society coordinator and election observer, told DW. He said it was unsurprising that Nigeria was in the position it was now because women had not played a prominent role in social and political development. "We need this bill. The bill gives equal playing ground to women." Analysts such as Ogwuche agree that women are systemically excluded from the political process. "The party system does not allow women to emerge victorious," she complained, stressing that even when the women aspirants win the ticket, it's given to a fellow man or somebody with more political clout, even when the constituents want women to represent them. "They are rigged out of the primary election, and even the few that make it to the general elections are beaten, are bulldozed, are shoved aside just so the male candidates of the political party in power, or whoever has the most thugs, or the most muscles, win the election." More women role models needed Nigeria is home to famous women such as Amina Mohammed, the current Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, renowned author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organisation. Yet, it lags in the political space. Supporters of the bill argue that creating space for women in governance is not just about representation. It is about creating a more equitable and just society. "How do we solve complex problems like insecurity, unemployment, or failing infrastructure when we're leaving half the population out of decision-making?" Ugben asked. "This bill has the potential to amplify the voices of women who are often being marginalised and excluded from decision making process. So by reserving these seats, we can ensure that women have a platform to share their prestige, prospective and experiences." Civil society groups are calling for urgency, stressing that passing the bill would not only align Nigeria with global democratic norms but could also inspire a new generation of women to lead at every level, from local government councils to the presidency.
ABC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas says 'everything on table' to increase party's female MPs
WA Liberal leader Basil Zempilas has committed to doing "whatever it takes" to increase the party's female members, not ruling out 50:50 quotas for candidate preselection at the next state election. His comments came as several elders in the Liberal Party reflected on its "women problem" in their post-mortems of the election thrashing, including retiring senator Linda Reynolds who on Monday labelled the defeat a "comprehensive failure". Linda Reynolds says the Liberal Party has a problem attracting female candidates. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) Mr Zempilas admitted the party's federal problems also exist in WA. "It is very clear, it is impossible to dispute, we do not have enough women who are part of the WA Liberal Party team," Mr Zempilas told the ABC. "That is a fact that cannot be ignored." 'Looking at everything' It's something Mr Zempilas said he plans to address by "looking at everything" — including 50:50 quotas at the 2029 state election. "I understand quotas are difficult to implement with our preselection system, and I understand the view that they are 'un-Liberal like', but my view is where we are today, everything has to be on the table," he said. " That has to include a genuine and serious conversation about quotas if that's what it will take to get greater female representation. " The idea of quotas had been rejected by the party in the past, Photo shows peter dutton jacob greber piece The Liberal Party has been told it has a women problem for years now, but you only have to look at its results in Western Australia to see how it's still struggling to make progress. Mr Zempilas said he has spoken with his state Liberal colleagues who all have a "huge appetite" to increase the party's relevance, starting with its uptake of female members. "That seems to be the issue at the moment for the WA Liberal Party and for the Liberal Party more broadly: are we connecting with enough people to be able to demonstrate to them that we're speaking their language, we know what they need, we understand the sort of leadership that they want?" he said. "That is the problem at the moment, so relevance, a relevant message, relevant policy, relevant candidate selection." Mr Zempilas said that started with its uptake of female members. The Liberals currently hold seven lower house seats in the WA parliament, but only two are held by females — deputy leader of the opposition Libby Mettam being one, and Cottesloe MP Sandra Brewer the other. Sandra Brewer is one of two Liberal members in the lower house of WA's parliament. ( ABC News: Jake Sturmer ) "I want to see more female candidates, and I want to see more women elected into the parliamentary Liberal Party," Mr Zempilas said. "I would like to lead a Liberal Party in the Parliament of Western Australia that is as close to, or perhaps even past, a 50:50 gender split." Mr Zempilas did however note work has already begun to improve the party's make-up. "I do know out of the review that took place after the 2021 [state] election, there was a significant emphasis placed on recruiting more female candidates," he said. Basil Zempilas says the Liberal Party has a lot of work to do. ( ABC News: Keane Bourke ) "I know there has been a program run that's been done to identify female candidates and then to mentor them, to assist with fundraising and to assist with the preselection process." Leadership challenge 'brutal' While that is a strong commitment, there are members of the public who view Mr Zempilas himself as a contributor to the problem. Mr Zempilas took over from Ms Mettam soon after the state poll in March, following her announcement she would not seek re-election because she didn't have the support of the party. "I had private conversations with my colleagues but it is very clear that my colleagues were seeking a new direction of the Liberal Party going forward," Ms Mettam said at the time. But it wasn't the first time her leadership was challenged. Photo shows Ken Wyatt looks directly at the camera on a suburban street. A former Liberal elder who quit the party after leaving federal parliament lashes his previous colleagues, urging them to become more inclusive in the wake of another bruising election result. In November, leaked polling which showed the Liberals' primary vote could be 7 per cent higher with Mr Zempilas as leader prompted a party room challenge — something Mr Zempilas has denied being involved with. Nevertheless, the polling was something Ms Mettam described as "brutal" for the party. "All of those things can be said [that the polling undermined Ms Mettam], the fact of the matter is after the most recent state election the leader of the Liberal Party stood down … and then at that point I put my hand up and was elected unopposed," he said. Leadership tussle aside, Mr Zempilas said as leader he's "championing more women in our parliament representing the Liberal Party" as a top priority. "We need to pick great female candidates and we need to put them in seats where they can win," he said. Elders agree Mr Zempilas's comments echo "Ten years ago I was part of a review into gender … and we recommended targets and how to get there without quotas," Ms Reynolds said on Monday. "That's been the Liberal Party policy for 10 years but it's just sat on a shelf." Election fallout and analysis: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Mr Wyatt agreed the party needs to "I have seen it in my party when I was a member, women offering ideas but the ideas not being accepted," Mr Wyatt said. "But then later, that same idea being offered up by a male and being accepted." Liberals sources told the ABC the party has a brand and image problem and needs more strong female candidates preselected for state and federal seats. Having trouble seeing this form? Try Loading
