The Liberal Party could struggle to meet its target — internally recommended after its bruising federal election loss — of women making up half of its federal MPs and senators by 2032.
The latest missed opportunity came at the weekend, when Frankston Mayor Nathan Conroy beat two internal female opponents to become the Liberal candidate for the upcoming Dunkley by-election.
Liberal sources say Conroy is seen as a good candidate with strong local name recognition, who might be able to overcome Labor’s 6% margin and beat Anthony Albanese’s chosen Dunkley candidate, Jodie Belyea.
But Conroy’s preselection does nothing to improve the Liberal Party’s odds of meeting its gender parity target.
The goal was recommended in the party’s review of its 2022 election loss. In the autopsy, former party director Brian Loughnane and Senator Jane Hume recommended a recruitment drive to attract more female candidates, but ruled out formal gender quotas. The review recommended the party’s federal executive adopt a target of 50% female representation within the party’s parliamentary ranks within 10 years or three terms. It also recommended the adoption of “practical measures to increase the female representation in the Parliament as quickly as possible”.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported last June that the recommendations in the post-election review had been formally adopted by the party.
Since that review was completed, in late 2022, the proportion of female Liberals in federal Parliament has actually decreased. Ex-foreign minister Marise Payne stepped down last year and ex-Wentworth MP Dave Sharma took her Senate seat.
In the Senate, where the Liberals hold 25 seats, there are now 10 Liberal women.
In the House of Representatives, there are nine Liberal women, including two Liberal National Party members who caucus with the Liberals. The Liberals hold 40 lower house seats in total.
There are several women who have been preselected for races in the next federal election, which is expected to be held in May 2025.
Mary Aldred has been preselected for Monash, and would replace sitting Liberal MP Russell Broadbent. Katie Allen has been preselected to challenge Labor for the seat of Higgins, which she formerly held. Susie Bower will have another go at taking the seat of Lyons from Labor, after coming close to winning it in 2022. And Gisele Kapterian will take on teal independent Kylea Tink in North Sydney.
In the Victorian seat of Kooyong, which ex-treasurer Josh Frydenberg lost to teal independent Monique Ryan in 2022, sources tell Crikey finance professional Amelia Hamer has a good chance of winning a forthcoming preselection battle. In another Victorian seat lost to a teal, Goldstein, ex-Liberal MP Tim Wilson will likely face off against two female candidates when the party selects its candidate later this year.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Conroy were both contacted for comment.
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