Victorian Government board appointments must be at least 50 per cent women, under new rules being introduced by the State Government.

The 50 per cent quota will also apply to the courts in a bid to encourage more women to join the judiciary.

Premier Daniel Andrews made the announcement at the Labor Party state conference in Melbourne.

"I'm sick of walking into meetings and seeing a room full of blokes sitting around the table," Mr Andrews said.

"It's not a target, it's not an aspiration. It's an assurance."

The quota will apply to all Victorian courts and all paid Government board positions, including Treasury Corporation, Public Transport Victoria, Melbourne Health and the Country Fire Authority.

"Of all of the appointments my Government makes between now and November 2018, at least one half of them will be women, and I'll be held accountable for it," Mr Andrews said.

"Under this Government, equity is not negotiable."

Mr Andrews said a number of leading Victorian organisations were performing badly when it came to appointing women.

"Female representation on major government boards in Victoria has fallen from 40 per cent to a little more than 35 per cent in four years," he said.

"Many of the boardrooms of our public bodies are lacking a balance of skills, a balance of views, a balance of experiences and a balance of knowledge.

"Because they're lacking perhaps the most important balance of all - they're lacking women."

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said he supported the move.

Mr Andrews made a pointed dig at the small number of women on the front benches of the Federal Government.

"A lot of people in this room made a lot of noise when Tony Abbott only found one seat at his Cabinet table to represent 11 million Australian women.

"Our Cabinet is very different and I'm proud of that."

Tony Abbott in Victoria for Liberal conference

Both the Victorian Labor and Liberal parties are holding their state conferences today - the Liberals at the Melbourne Convention Centre and Labor at Moonee Valley Racecourse.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott addressed the conference in Victoria, as New South Wales Premier Mike Baird earlier cast his vote in the state election.

Mr Abbott said it was great to see the Victorian Liberal Party in "good spirits" following the election defeat in November last year.

"I know that what happened in this State last December hurt - it always hurts to lose an election," Mr Abbott said.

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"But when you look at the great federal members of Parliament we've got down here, when you look at the great state members of Parliament we've got here, our party is in good shape here in Victoria.

"I pay tribute to Ted Baillieu. I pay tribute to Denis Napthine and I make this prediction: the longer the Labor Government lasts, the better the Victorian Liberal Government will look."

Mr Abbott urged Mr Andrews to change his mind on his promise to abandon the Napthine government's East West Link toll road project, despite recently publicly backing down from insisting on the road.

"I am happy to talk to the Premier about other road projects in Victoria because Victoria needs many road projects.

"I am happy to talk to him about freight rail projects here in Victoria.

"The last thing this Federal Government would ever do is dud Victoria, but one thing that must always be available is $3 billion to make sure we build the link."

PM 'humbled' by leadership spill

He said the Federal Government had changed its focus to "things that really matter to the Australian people" since he faced a leadership spill in February.

"It hasn't all been progress but we are making steady progress," he told his Victorian colleagues.

"It's humbling I have to say to you, very humbling to face the kind of party room challenge that I faced earlier this year.

"It's humbling but it's also instructive. It was a reminder that even a PM has to be a servant as well as a leader."

Liberal Party members are expected to elect party powerbroker Michael Kroger as state president for another term, after he was the only person to nominate for the role.

Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten is in China and will not attend the Labor conference.