Overview

• Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has proclaimed herself a “zealot” for boosting the share of women in parliament and is open to gender quotas as one tool to achieve parity.
• Conservative figure Angus Taylor argues that quotas would “subvert democratic processes” and prefers mentoring and recruitment initiatives instead.
• Under the party’s federated model, state divisions control their own preselection policies, creating uneven support for quota measures across jurisdictions.
• Former prime minister Tony Abbott has also condemned quotas as illiberal, underscoring resistance in the party’s conservative ranks.
• Senator James McGrath’s newly announced review of the party’s rules will consider formal quota proposals alongside other reforms to address the Liberal Party’s one-third female MP rate.