Overview

• A special meeting of the NSW Liberal Women’s Council reviewed enforceable temporary quotas after the party dropped to only six women in the federal House.
• Senator Maria Kovacic advocates quotas with sunset clauses spanning two election cycles, a position conditionally backed by leader Sussan Ley if state branches agree.
• Frontbenchers including Angus Taylor, Tony Abbott and newly elected senator Jess Collins oppose quotas and argue that merit-based selection and expanded mentorship better support female candidates.
• Shadow women’s minister Melissa McIntosh urges a systemic cultural redesign and proposes gender-balanced candidate pools similar to the UK Conservative 'A-list' model.
• Implementing any preselection reform requires a 60% majority in the NSW Liberal Party state council, underscoring procedural barriers within the party’s federated structure.