The Victorian Liberal Party is vowing to make the reforms needed to win back power after a damning internal assessment of its 2014 election defeat.



A review by former state president David Kemp has slammed the previous government, citing disunity and poor communication as factors behind it becoming the state’s first single-term administration in 60 years.



Commenting on the findings, the prime minister, Tony Abbott, told the Victorian Liberal state council on Saturday that election losses always hurt.



“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,” Abbott told about 1,000 delegates.



Dr Kemp’s review of the November defeat criticised periods of “dysfunctional” paralysis in the premier’s office.



“Some ministers have said they felt less important than senior central staff for much of the term,” he told the council.



He said industrial disputes with teachers, nurses and paramedics dragged on too long, and broken promises on teachers’ pay were remembered by the electorate.



Dr Kemp also said the party needed to recruit more women MPs, a point not lost on new president Michael Kroger, who said he would make it a focus of his reforms.



Meanwhile, the premier, Daniel Andrews, announced to the Labor party state conference on Saturday that women would make up at least half of all future appointments to paid Victorian government board and court positions. Female representation on government boards in Victoria has dropped from 40% to 35.6% in the past four years.

Andrews said women’s perspectives were needed on more Victorian boards.



“I’m sick of walking into meetings and seeing a room full of blokes sitting around a table,” he said.



Ministers will be responsible for ensuring all appointments meet the new requirements, which will apply to all paid government boards and the supreme, county and magistrates courts.



The Liberal opposition leader, Matthew Guy, said it was a good policy, “probably overdue”, and it had the opposition’s support. “I hope the private sector will follow suit as well,” he said.

The Liberal state council continues on Sunday with a report into how the party can engage more women.