Gender Quotas Under Review to Strengthen Liberal Party
Angus Taylor has expressed his opposition to gender quotas, yet the authors of a recent discussion paper emphasize that achieving different outcomes requires a willingness to adopt new approaches.
The Liberal Party is actively seeking feedback on the implementation of gender quotas as a strategy to increase female representation within its parliamentary ranks, a move deemed essential for the party's long-term viability.
This initiative is highlighted in a new discussion paper released by the Liberal Party Commission, an internal review body established by former leader Sussan Ley following consecutive electoral setbacks.
The paper, distributed to party supporters on Wednesday, explores various strategies to rejuvenate the party's aging membership, select competitive candidates, engage more effectively with multicultural communities and younger voters, and enhance internal structures and campaign efforts.
“We hold few seats in urban areas, core demographics continue to turn away from us without looking back, our membership is ageing, and campaign resources are stretched,”Queensland Senator James McGrath, chair of the commission, wrote in an introduction to the report.
“Our core question is: how do we make the Liberal Party a fit-for-purpose political machine in the 21st century?”
The discussion paper acknowledges that the current parliamentary team does not reflect the average Australian, described as a 38-year-old woman who is disengaged from politics and perceives the Liberals as unrepresentative of her identity and aspirations.
Currently, only 33% of Liberal and Queensland LNP parliamentarians nationwide are women, with men outnumbering women by four to one in the House of Representatives.
“If the Liberal Party is to survive in the long term, this must change urgently,”the paper states.
The party's challenges with female representation have been well documented over the years. Previous efforts, including proposals for gender quotas, have encountered significant internal resistance.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has publicly opposed gender quotas, rejecting the concept following discussions after the 2025 election.
However, the discussion paper stresses that meaningful progress will require new measures.
“None of them would be easy or without complication or resistance from some,”the paper notes.
“However, if we want a different outcome, we need to be prepared to do things differently.”
The paper outlines six potential options, presenting arguments both for and against each, without endorsing any particular approach:
- Implementing gender quotas mandating a proportion of winnable seats be allocated to female candidates.
- Introducing US-style "open primaries" allowing all voters in a constituency, not just party members, to participate in preselection.
- Adopting a local version of the UK Conservative Party's "A-list," which identified 100 potential candidates.
- Applying "bonus weighting" to female candidates to enhance their chances in preselection contests.
- Requiring a minimum number of women to contest preselection ballots.
- Mandating state divisions to set female candidate targets in winnable seats.
The paper argues that gender quotas, as seen in other parties like Labor, have gradually improved gender balance over time.
Conversely, it notes that quotas may conflict with merit-based selection principles, which are considered core to Liberal values.
Several of these options, including open primaries, have been proposed previously but never implemented.
Engaging Multicultural Communities and Young Voters
The discussion paper also addresses the party's need to regain support from multicultural communities and younger voters, key demographics that shifted away from the party in the 2022 and 2025 elections.
It highlights that negative perceptions of the party within multicultural groups are deeply entrenched, with some federal policies being misrepresented by opponents as hostile or racist.
“As well as increased engagement, the party must instill message discipline to ensure such positions are not being exploited by opponents,”the report states.
Regarding younger Australians, the paper notes that many view the Liberal Party as less credible on issues important to them, such as climate action.
“These brand perceptions among youth are now structural. They cannot be dismissed by saying voters will ‘age into’ voting for the party,”it adds.
Renewing Membership and Addressing Demographic Challenges
The paper proposes strategies to revitalize the party's aging membership base, including offering $10 annual memberships targeted at busy professionals and parents.
Internal data cited in the report indicates that over 55% of Liberal members are aged over 60.
“A narrower and less representative membership base risks a growing disconnect between internal party culture and the voter coalition needed to win elections. It puts campaign mobilisation at risk and may weaken the Party’s candidate pipeline over time,”the report warns.
