The Liberal party is canvassing views on gender quotas as part of a suite of proposals aimed at increasing the number of women in its parliamentary ranks, with a new discussion paper warning that the party's long-term survival depends on urgent change.
Discussion Paper Highlights Gender Imbalance
The discussion paper, released on Wednesday by the Liberal Party Commission, an internal group established under former leader Sussan Ley, notes that men outnumber women four-to-one in the lower house of federal parliament. Just 33% of Liberal and Queensland LNP parliamentarians across the country are women, according to the paper.
"If the Liberal Party is to survive in the long term, this must change urgently," the paper states, adding that the parliamentary team does not represent the average Australian—a 38-year-old woman who feels the Liberals "don't look like her or speak for her aspirations."
Angus Taylor Opposes Quotas, But Paper Warns of Need for Change
Opposition leader Angus Taylor has publicly rejected gender quotas, but the discussion paper warns that new measures are needed to make "serious progress." The paper floats six options, each with pros and cons, without offering a recommendation. These include gender quotas requiring a proportion of winnable seats for female candidates, US-style open primaries, a local version of the UK Conservative's "A-list," bonus weighting for female candidates, mandating a minimum number of women in preselection ballots, and requiring state divisions to set female candidate targets in winnable seats.
The argument in favor of quotas is that existing models, such as Labor's, have improved gender balance over time. The argument against is that quotas override merit-based selection, which the paper acknowledges is "contrary to Liberal values."
Broader Party Renewal Proposals
The discussion paper also addresses the need to win back multicultural communities and young voters, two groups that abandoned the party in the 2022 and 2025 elections. It notes that negative perceptions among multicultural communities are "deep-rooted" and that some federal policies were "misappropriated by opponents as hostile or racist."
On youth engagement, the paper states that many young Australians view the Liberal party as "less credible" on issues like climate action, and that these perceptions are "now structural." It proposes options to renew the party's ageing membership base, including $10 annual memberships targeted at time-poor professionals and parents. Internal figures show more than 55% of Liberal members are 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," the report warns.
The commission chair, Queensland senator James McGrath, wrote in a preview: "Our core question is: how do we make the Liberal Party a fit-for-purpose political machine in the 21st century?"
