If there’s one clear message the LNP conveyed at its annual Queensland convention over the weekend, it’s that the party is the first to admit it has “a problem with women”.
Over the past three days, key state and federal-level LNP figures recognized to women voters were removed from the Coalition, making it a potential contributor to their landslide loss of federal elections in the May.
But when asked why voters withdrew support, the party was less open.
Recognition of the issue was presented in several speeches in front of the crowd of 600 party supporters.
LNP President Lawrence Springborg told supporters, while Queensland’s vote with women had improved, they needed to figure out how to “regain the favor” of women voters nationwide.
The party did not say why it believes it is losing female fans. (ABC News: Rachel Riga)
“Everyone has absolutist views on why things happened or didn’t happen, and I don’t get into that kind of analysis,” Springborg told the media after his speech.
National Party leader David Littleproud delivered the federal speech with opposition leader Peter Dutton over the holidays, saying the party needed to do “much better” to bring Australian women back.
Capricorn MP Michelle Landry, who has held the seat of Central Queensland since 2013, told the chamber: “We have a problem getting our policies in place, but we also have a problem with women in the electorate.”
He said women over the age of 50 who had married or divorced and were left with little pension or financial security were looking to the party for more support.
If the LNP is losing strength with this demographic, its own analysis of the issue points to two key areas: the decline of female voters and the decline of female representation within the party itself.
So what are they doing to address the issue of a dying vote?
What became clear from the language and tone of the conference is that the LNP’s focus is to improve female representation in politics in the hope that this, in turn, will improve the number of votes at the grassroots level.
But it will not be through a quota system, with many party members rejecting this targeted approach.
Ms Cooper said the party focused on removing obstacles that deter women from running as candidates. (ABC News: Rachel Riga)
LNP subway vice president Amanda Cooper described the quotas as a “blunt instrument” and said the party focused on removing obstacles that deter women from running as candidates and making sure they had a genuine contribution to the party.
Littleproud said he was proud that women accounted for 50 percent of the National Party’s front table, but it was, “Not because I had a quota, but because we created an environment for better, brighter women to show up. , have the courage and conviction to try “.
As a result of the election, 11 of the 58 members of the lower house of the Coalition are women, while 14 out of a total of 32 senators are women.
Brisbane City Council has 10 men and 10 women. (ABC News: Rachel Riga)
Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner stressed he has a team of 10 men and 10 women on the council, but told the convention that “this was not achieved through quotas.”
“This was achieved through this renewal process [of mixing experience and new talent]”He said.
“One preselection at a time, one man or one woman putting their hand together to be part of this team.”
LNP state leader David Crisafulli dodged questions about whether he supported quotas, but said he has pledged for women to run as candidates in seven of the party’s 14 most marginal seats. needs to win the 2024 state election.
“I also want to see more people from different cultural backgrounds, more people from small businesses and families and more young people,” he said.
The LNP has 34 members in the Queensland parliament, six of them women.
Clearly, strategy is a merit-based goal of diversity.
Time will tell if more diversity will make the party more responsible in meeting the needs of women.
Posted 17 hours, 17 hours ago, Monday, July 11, 2022 at 12:24 PM, updated 17 hours ago, 17 hours ago, Monday, July 11, 2022 at 12:42 AM