As the adage goes, a week is a long time in politics. So, we can infer that for the Liberal Party, the past fortnight has been interminable.
From the NSW nominations debacle to a decisive electoral win in the Northern Territory, the term ‘emotional whiplash’ feels apt.
First, the heart-ache of the NSW local government nominations bungle
No matter what your politics, democracy does not benefit from the absence of a major party in what is broadly (even at a Council level) still a two-party system. Whether our alumnae are elected or not, the very act of running is chalked up as a win at Women for Election. So, the loss of opportunity for many of our alums cuts deeply with us, as it does with Liberal HQ.
As someone who has spent the past five years working to inspire and equip more women to run for public office, I am aware that one of the biggest barriers for women considering running for public office is the preselection process. It’s a daunting task, regardless of your party affiliation, and a significant hurdle.
Women preselected by the Liberal party to run in the NSW local government elections, including our alumni, had breathed a sigh of relief on jumping their first hurdle, excitedly launching their campaigns, pounding the pavement, cultivating their campaign team, and building their name ID in their local community. Will they bide their time and recontest in another four years? Only time will tell. However, we need to recognise the very real possibility that these women might not run again.
Then, the Country Liberal Party achieved a decisive victory in the Northern Territory
At face value, the Territory election was a win for women in politics, with both the Country Liberal Party (CLP) and Australian Labor Party (ALP) led by women. It has also been a milestone victory for Lia Finocchiaro, the first female CLP Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. We always celebrate firsts at Women for Election and Ms Finocchiaro should be applauded for breaking new ground in the Territory.
But it can’t be ignored that women’s representation in the Territory Parliament has decreased, with the Territory sliding from fourth to sixth place for female representation out of our nation’s eight state and territory lower houses.
When looking at the gender breakdown of preselected candidates for the two major parties in the Territory, the disparity is clear, with the ALP preselecting 44% female candidates and the CLP preselecting 32%. Of course, this is not a new trend. At WFE we’re acutely aware of the sensitivity of the Q-word in the conservative side of politics. But at the risk of stirring the pot, we support quotas because they work, and far from lowering the standard of candidates or decreasing electorate success, all the evidence suggests the opposite is true.
The net impact – a reduced pipeline of women
Whilst enjoying a rapid change in fortunes, the Liberal Party still needs to address a serious leak in the pipeline of female candidates for the party. Women for Election inspires and equips women to run for office, including for the Liberal party, but our efforts need to be matched by real efforts within the party and the nomination bungle in NSW hurt the efforts of many.
With a looming state election in QLD, as well as the ACT election and Victorian local government election, it’s important that any Liberal victories go hand-in-glove with lifting women’s representation in Australia. Any other result risks ongoing public scrutiny about the party’s dedication to this issue.