Inherently sexist

Is the Liberal Party inherently sexist? Female and male Liberals deny the party is inherently biased against its own female members. They point to Malcolm Turnbull's decision to appoint four women to his cabinet, and three of those in portfolios seen as masculine: Defence, Foreign Affairs and Industrial Relations.

The numerical evidence suggests that Turnbull's desire to promote women is having little to no effect on the selection of female candidates, which is controlled by the party's state divisions and regular members.

The number of female Liberal MPs is diminishing. Today, 18 of the 84 Liberals in the federal Parliament are women, the lowest figure in 20 years, MPs say. The Labor Party has 43 women in Parliament.

The Liberal women who are selected are more likely to stand in marginal seats, like Scott, which means they have to spend more time in their electorates rather than on policy, which hurts their chances of becoming ministers.

Former member for Lindsay Fiona Scott was propelled into prominence during the 2013 election campaign for her "sex appeal". Peter Rae

Last year South Australia – which has a history of progressive social policies – elected its first new female Liberal to the House of Representatives in 20 years, Nicolle Flint.

Too pushy


When Kelly O'Dwyer was on the backbench trying for a promotion after the 2013 election she rang a senior minister, Kevin Andrews, and made her case, like many of her male colleagues were doing.

"You're perceived as pushy," he told her, according to O'Dwyer. "Would you refer to a male colleague like that?" O'Dwyer says she replied. "There are other people who are just ambitious," she says he answered.

Andrews says he always gives male and female colleagues frank advice.

Revenue Minister Kelly O'Dwyer, husband Jon and daughter Olivia. The Victorian MP was told she was "pushy" when she asked for a promotion. Supplied

The comment reflected a common problem for career women: they're constantly told to promote themselves more; when they do, some men become resentful. O'Dwyer became a parliamentary secretary the following year.

One of the ironies of the Abbott government, which famously had a sole woman in cabinet, was that the woman who was more powerful than many ministers, chief of staff Peta Credlin, wasn't perceived as helpful to Liberal women.

Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop and Credlin clashed over the administrative arrangements of Bishop's office. The Foreign Minister wanted a waiver to employ a chief of staff who lived in the wrong city. Credlin tried to block her, sources said.

O'Dwyer, who is now the Minister for Revenue and Financial Services and is about to have her second child, had a tense conversation with Credlin about how O'Dwyer should explain, in a television interview, the lack of women in the Abbott government.


Victorian MP Julia Banks (right) with her parents on her graduation from law school. Banks says mandatory representation of women and people of various ages is necessary to counter a party bias to men. Supplied

Credlin had to back the leader's decision. O'Dwyer was offended by a suggestion there weren't enough qualified women for cabinet – and that she should make that argument in public.

Moving to Labor

Women used to be the Liberal Party's biggest supporters. In 2001 the number of women voting Liberal relative to men started to decline, according to Flint, who co-wrote a study for the Menzies Research Centre that found a correlation between female candidates in winnable seats and female electoral support.

In a society where the left dominates public discussion about gender equality, Flint represents the paradox of Liberal Party feminism. One of the highest-profile advocates within the party of female representation holds conservative political beliefs, was a supporter of Tony Abbott and a friend of Cory Bernardi, the ex-Liberal who has formed his own party, the Australian Conservatives.

The beneficiary of several male political patrons, Flint sees change coming through the men who control the party. One of her rules: don't treat them as the enemy. "Men are the way to improve the representation of women," she says. "Female columnists say terrible things about men."

Jane Hume with sons Harry and Charlie in 2006. Charming male politicians aren't called flirts, she says. Supplied

Fiona Scott eventually got a slot on the economics committee – thanks to a man, Treasurer Joe Hockey. Former health minister Sussan Ley would have had a better chance of surviving a travel scandal last year if she had a circle of fellow MPs supporting her, according to one male cabinet minister, which would have been more likely if she was male. Ley is now on the backbench.


The quota question

Flint adamantly opposes gender quotas. Melissa Price, a West Australian MP, supports non-mandatory targets. "A female shouldn't be three times better than a male to get promoted," she says.

Victorian Julia Banks, the only Liberal to win a seat from Labor in last year's election, says mandatory representation of women and people of various ages is necessary to counter a bias within the party towards men. "The meritocracy argument is completely flawed and wrong, because unconscious bias gets in the way," she says. "I don't think it will happen organically, either in business or politics."

Role models are important too. Sarah Henderson's mother was a state MP from Geelong. Henderson, a former television journalist and lawyer, now represents part of Geelong in the federal Parliament.

While many men have followed their fathers into politics, Henderson believes she is the first daughter of a female MP to do so. Henderson has aspirations to join the ministry, but needs to balance pursuing national policy changes with defending her 3.1 per cent margin.

Not long after the election of the Abbott government, Henderson was putting pressure on Australia Post to cancel the move of a mail-sorting centre from Geelong to Dandenong. At a meeting of Coalition MPs, chief executive Ahmed Fahour complained back, she says.

"Ahmed said, in reference to my speech in Parliament, that I looked 'like a horse's arse'," she says. "It is an example of why women in politics sometimes need to be very strong and hold their ground."

An Australia Post spokeswoman says Fahour denies making the remark.


West Australian MP Melissa Price supports non-mandatory targets. "A female shouldn't be three times better than a male to get promoted," she says. Supplied

Flirt double standard

Male and female politicians operate differently. They are judged by different standards, too. Conservative columnist Andrew Bolt recently posted a video clip of Julie Bishop smiling and showing Turnbull her bare shoulder at a formal dinner. The implication was that Bishop was flirting. The subtext was that she used her sexuality for professional advancement, an age-old criticism made of many successful women.

Jane Hume, a Victorian senator, says that Bishop supports her fellow female politicians, both with personal and professional advice when sought out and by holding irregular social events. Bishop, like a lot of politicians, is charming, which they all need to be, Hume says. "Malcolm Turnbull is the most charming of them all and no one calls him a flirt," she says.

At meetings of Liberal and National Party MPs known as the Coalition party room, an important forum for self-promotion, many of the men seem to enjoy making speeches about the policy and political issues of the day, MPs say. The women are more cautious. "If you speak too often, people stop listening to you," says Melissa Price, the West Australian MP.

Putting out fires

The toughest challenge for many female MPs is their children.

Sarah Henderson missed the first day of her son's new school in year 5.


When Hume's 13-year-old son let off a fire extinguisher at his school last week, she was in Canberra chairing the Senate economics committee. She felt terrible she wasn't in Melbourne to respond.

Asked if she ever feels judged for being a mother and a politician, she says: "All the time."

Revenue Minister Kelly O'Dwyer, the first Australian cabinet minister to give birth in office, has a crib in her ministerial office. Some colleagues still regard her as too pushy. Others respect her for combining young motherhood with high office.

Victorian MP Julia Banks visiting Parliament as a tourist with her son Sam and Emma. She wants the Liberal Party to introduce quotas for female candidates. Supplied

"Kelly made the ultimate sacrifice for the country," says Anne Ruston, the Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. "I wouldn't be prepared to do it."