Hearing a Liberal backbencher deploying the word “credible” to dismiss the (still current) woman leading the Liberal party was galling and familiar.
“If we want a credible opposition and we want to win the next election … we need a new leader to do that,” Phil Thompson told reporters outside Parliament House this morning.
That leader happens to be the first ever woman to lead the party, Sussan Ley. And someone who has been in the role for less than a year.
The key contender for Ley’s job, who clearly has Thompson’s vote, is remarkably similar to the many individuals who have served in the role before her: Angus Taylor.
The use of the word “credible” took me immediately back to 2020, when the Liberal party moved to dismiss the concerns of women back.
My then-colleague Georgie Dent started the #Crediblewomen hashtag in response to a staffer from the then-prime minister’s office telling her that no one “credible” shared her view that the Morrison Government’s budget hadn’t delivered for women.
Georgie’s hashtag went viral. It created a movement that not only enabled women to express their frustrations but also to connect, share resources, and ideas. Those who got involved included politicians, journalists, surgeons, entrepreneurs, lawyers, academics, current and former MPs and women who generally wanted to show they were paying attention, regardless of whether a staffer in an office considered them “credible” or not.
I find it hard to believe the Liberal party didn’t notice at the time, but not so hard to believe they didn’t learn the lesson.
The state of the Liberal Party has been dire since the 2025 Federal Election, when it managed to further diminish what it had already lost at the 2022 Election — just after movements like #Crediblewomen emerged in response to the then Government’s inability to take women’s concerns seriously.
The Liberal party’s problem with women has long hindered its ability to win seats and make a serious claim on the national conversation.
The party tried something new in appointing Sussan Ley. Most would have known that anyone taking the helm at that time would have their work cut out for them and face a serious risk of failure.
So, for a moment, a woman was deemed “credible” enough to take the role. But only just.
From day one, Ley’s credibility in remaining in the role and leading the Coalition to the next election has been questioned by her own party colleagues.
Now, with a leadership spill pending, Taylor and Co seem willing to believe a woman will be “credible” enough to serve as Deputy Leader, with Jane Hume expected to run for the role.
But Taylor and the team have done nothing to consider meaningful actions to get more women into the Liberal Party, especially into winnable seats. They’ve done nothing to support the first woman to lead the party, and nothing to consider the votes of women “credible” enough to care about.
Taylor’s video announcing he’ll run for leadership saw him presenting himself as blokey and relatable, at least for a certain cohort of blokes. Filmed in a rural setting (despite being at Parliament House today), Taylor says the party needs “strong and decisive leadership” and that “The Liberal party has lost its way”. He says he’s here to “restore” things and is dedicated to helping Australians “realise the great Australian dream.”
Taylor believes that “Australia is worth fighting for”.
Will women ever be “credible” enough for Taylor to bother fighting for?