Here are the women entering federal parliament for the first time in 2019.

Here are the women entering federal parliament for the first time in 2019

helen haines katie allen
After the federal election and with a few seats still undecided, women are expected to take at least 81 of the 227 seats across both houses of the new Australian parliament.

These women will make up approximately 35 percent of parliament, which is a slight improvement on the previous parliament, where approximately 31 percent of parliamentarians were women.

In the lower house, there could be up to 45 female MPs.

Here are some of the key women who have won (or are likely to win) seats in the lower house across Australia and will be entering federal parliament for the first time.

  • In NSW, Fiona Phillips has won the seat of Gilmore for the ALP ahead of Liberal candidate Warren Mundine. The seat was previously help by Liberal MP Ann Sudmalis.
  • Liberal candidate Melissa McIntosh has won the seat of Lindsay, previously held by Labor MP Emma Husar, who decided not to re-contest the seat.
  • In one of the most high-profile contests of the election campaign, independent Zali Steggall has won the seat of Warringah, replacing former PM and liberal MP Tony Abbott, after he served 25 years as the local member.
  • Helen Haines has been elected in the regional Victorian seat of Indi, making her the first independent to succeed another independent in federal parliament. Haines replaced Cathy McGowan, who has held the seat since 2013.
  • Celia Hammond has won the seat of Curtin in WA for Liberal party, replacing long-serving MP Julie Bishop.
  • In Victoria, Katie Allen has won the seat of Higgins, succeeding previous Minister for Women and Liberal party MP Kelly O’Dwyer.
  • In the key Sydney seat of Reid, Liberal candidate Fiona Martin has been elected, succeeding outgoing MP Craig Laundy.
  • Liberal candidate Bridget Archer could take the still undecided seat of Bass in Tasmania which has a margin 5.4%. She is currently leading the contest and if she wins, she would replace the ALP’s Ross Hart, who has held the seat since 2016.
  • The undecided seat of Macquarie has Liberal candidate Sarah Richards leading previous member, the ALP’s Susan Templeman.

 

This small increase of women in the new parliament is welcome, however it is also indicates that the road to gender parity in Australia is moving at a remarkably slow pace.

Dr Katrine Beauregard told SBS News that “at the current rate, women will have to wait another 20 or 30 years before we get full gender parity.”

According to data from the Inter-parliamentary Union, Australia is ranked equal 48th globally in terms of female representation in parliament, along with other countries like Peru and Angola.

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