"It's a systemic problem in the party – how embarrassing to be a government with only one woman at a senior level." Mr Abbott, a staunch Catholic, was labelled a sexist and misogynist by Julia Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister, and has struggled to overcome his reputation for hostility to women. His three daughters and his wife, Margie, have publicly defended him from charges of sexism, as has his female chief of staff, Peta Credlin, who last year described his show of support for her as she tried to have a baby through IVF treatment.