Women in the WA Liberal Party have called on the state party to put solid female candidates in winning seats and reflect modern society or condemn the long-term opposition after successive electoral defeats reduced it to a group both statewide and federal.
Key points:
- Liberal Party members say the party needs to change
- But they are divided on whether quotas are adopted
- Many blame the pre-selection process for their ‘bloke’ problem
Some former MPs want the party to go further and finally adopt quotas for women in parliament, arguing that it has become completely current.
“There is no mining company on the terrace that does not have a policy on diversity goals,” said a former Liberal MP.
“For the last 10 years, we haven’t had any attraction for women.”
After the 2021 state election left the Liberals with only two seats in the lower house, the party lost five seats in Saturday’s federal election, leaving them with only one seat in the metropolitan city of Perth.
Four of these outgoing deputies were men and all were replaced by women, three from the ALP.
Kate Chaney, who won Curtin’s secure Liberal seat, presented herself as an independent after deciding that the Liberal Party, in which her uncle and grandfather were federal ministers, did not reflect her values.
The election disaster caused WA Liberal leader and former Morrison cabinet minister Ken Wyatt, who lost his seat in Hasluck, to ask his party members for a serious unknown and to stop being so “central to the bloc”. “.
Voters had told her they didn’t like the Liberals’ “mentality” about women and climate change, and that they needed to have more women in politics.
It needs to change, but no fees
Former Liberal upper house MP and shadow minister Alyssa Hayden said she could work within the male-dominated party, but that she needed to change.
“Obviously there are times when decisions have to be made, I think if it were between a man and a woman, it would lean towards the male side,” he said.
“Yes, we can improve on that. And if we think we can’t, we’ll be stuck in opposition for a long time.
“Our whole party is not resonating with women at the moment, it is not resonating with the community.
“The community has evolved and changed. We have modernized and our party needs to be more modern as well.
“We need to respect our core values and really reflect what the community wants.
“If we don’t do this, we won’t get women to want to be part of the party and want to raise their hand. If we don’t reflect what they want and need, how do we get them. Blackboard?”
[Left to right] New Labor MPs Sam Lim, Zaneta Mascarenhas, Tracey Roberts and Tania Lawrence won their Liberal seats. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
Ms Hayden said she did not support quotas, and said there were already many women in the wider Liberal Party, but she should be encouraged and supported to run for winning seats.
“There is not much support, even with Liberal women who support each other,” she said.
“We need to start supporting the strong women we have, who already belong to the Liberal Party, so that they know they have every chance of winning this seat.”
The ALP first adopted quotas in 1994, and last year’s state election saw a record 43 women elected to the WA Parliament, 39 of them Labor.
By comparison, only 25 Liberal women have ever sat in the WA Parliament.
Factions a bigger problem: Morton
Helen Morton, who was the minister of disability and mental health services in the Barnett government and served in parliament for 12 years, agreed.
Former WA Liberal MP Helen Morton believes factional influence in the party is more of an issue than a women’s issue (ABC News: Andrew O’Connor)
“I think it’s very important to have the right women,” she said.
“In the time I was in parliament, I came across women who were more bullied than men in parliament.”
For Ms Morton, the central and most corrosive problem was the influence of the factions, and in particular of a conservative group of MPs known as “The Clan”, which was more debilitating for the Liberal Party.
WA Liberals Peter Collier, Mathias Cormann and Nick Goiran were central figures in The Clan for years, although Mr Cormann has moved abroad. (ABC News)
He said he believed his “control” over the party and the pre-selection of candidates had reduced him.
This was reflected in a review of the party following the loss of state elections by attorney Mark Trowell, who recommended major reforms to free the party from The Clan.
Following the outcome of the federal election, Trowell has expressed despair that not a single one of his recommendations has been enacted and nothing has changed.
Dutton “proves liberals don’t listen”
Deputy Liberal leader Libby Mettam, one of only two Liberal MPs in the state parliament, along with Upper House member Donna Farragher, said the review had been put on hold during the federal election.
Libby Mettam wants more women selected to qualify for the winning seats. (ABC News: Hugh Sando)
The party promises a more popular pre-selection process, giving more voice to its members.
Mettam said the party will study how to increase female representation.
“Part of that is making sure we also see pre-selected women in these most lucrative seats,” she said.
Liberal leader David Honey said he was working with Liberal Party President Richard Wilson to introduce constitutional and pre-election changes.
“The party is carrying out these important reforms so that we can choose the best candidates who really represent their local communities and to present more Liberal women in win-win seats,” she said.
David Honey is the leader of the WA Liberal Party, although some believe Ms Mettam would be a better option. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
“The party needs to embark on this reconstruction in order to attract more Western Australians more broadly. That is what I am doing as a Liberal leader in WA.”
But a former state MP said Ms Mettam should become a Liberal leader instead of Dr Honey.
“From a state perspective, allowing David Honey to stay the leader when you have someone like Libby Mettam is sure to be a two-way match, but … Honey doesn’t resonate with women anywhere,” she said.
Another former MP “mortified” at the prospect of Peter Dutton becoming the federal leader.
“They’re not listening. The message was loud and clear from the community. Women have left us en masse,” she said.