The debate into a short-term gender quotas, pushed by NSW senator Maria Kovacic and former Liberal senator Linda Reynolds, has been reheated after Sussan Ley ordered state divisions to increase the number of women preselected in winnable seats.
Coalition health spokesperson Senator Ruston, who rejected gender-based quotas in 2021 and said 鈥渄ecisions about preselections are for the grassroots members,鈥 loosened her stance, and said the Liberals needed to increase the number of women in its party room.
鈥淲e can no longer rule out the temporary use of quotas as an option, given we have not met our targets to date by other means,鈥 she told NewsWire.
鈥淲e must encourage more women to join the Liberal Party, and we must get Liberal women into the parliament.鈥
The Coalition鈥檚 spokesman for women, Melissa McIntosh said that while she was open to a gender-quotas, she wanted the topic to be 鈥渢horoughly鈥 canvassed in the election post-mortem.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just not as simple as saying yes or no to quotas,鈥 she said, urging the party to look at whether allocations would be implemented during preselection, or for safe or marginal seats.
鈥淲e shouldn鈥檛 be closing the door to any possible work to be done within the party, whether they are quotas, or targets 鈥 but the work should be done and then we can have an evidence based position on whether we should be adopting quotas.鈥
However she said a review into the party鈥檚 culture and how it treats women needs to be the 鈥渇irst and foremost鈥 priority, adding that there was 鈥渘o question鈥 that the Liberals need greater female representation.
鈥淭here has to be a lot of work on the culture of the Liberal Party and the way women are treated within the Liberal Party,鈥 she said.
鈥淚t needs to be fixed. It doesn鈥檛 really matter if we have quotas if the culture isn鈥檛 conducive to the success of women (and doesn鈥檛 allow them) to contribute to the party at all levels.鈥
Ms McIntosh also said more support needed to be given to women 鈥渙nce they get into parliamentary positions鈥.
She referenced a local conference ahead of the 2022 election which had been 鈥渜uite aggressively taken out by blokes鈥.
鈥淭hey challenged me for my seat, even though I鈥檇 won one election and increased the margin,鈥 she said.
鈥淭hat shouldn鈥檛 be able to happen in a party and to a parliamentarian, and it particularly shouldn鈥檛 be happening to our female MPs. We shouldn鈥檛 be feeling that insecurity within our own party.鈥
The tone shift comes after Coalition defence spokesman, and former Liberal leadership contender, Angus Taylor maintained that he has 鈥渘ever been a supporter of quotas鈥 to increase gender representation.
鈥淚 think there are better ways of doing that, and I鈥檝e seen that in my own business career,鈥 he said.
While Ms Ley has said she is 鈥渁gnostic鈥 on how state branches chose to increase gender representation ahead of the 2028 poll, the Liberal Leader said the party must 鈥渞ecruit better,鈥 鈥渞etain better,鈥 and 鈥渟upport better鈥.
Asked whether she would intervene on unruly state branches unwilling to head her call, she told reporters at National Press Club: 鈥淚鈥檓 not prepared to accept that we won鈥檛鈥.
Ms Ley also emphasised the broaden the Liberal Party鈥檚 base as the Coalition rebuilds after they were 鈥渟mashed鈥 on May 3.
Speaking to the Coalition party room in Canberra on Thursday, Ms Ley told members: 鈥淥ur job is to present that alternative narrative for Australians so they look at us and know that we鈥檙e a party that respects, reflects and will represent modern Australia, and we can restore their faith and trust in us鈥.
Nationals Leader David Littleproud said the 鈥渕ob will turn鈥 on Labor, issuing a call to arms for the party to 鈥渃ome out swinging,鈥 and focus on the cost-of-living crisis still affecting Aussies.
鈥淭he mob will turn as they turn in this election, they can turn again, and when they turn, they鈥檒l turn big time,鈥 he said.
鈥淪o let鈥檚 come out swinging. Let鈥檚 hold this government to account, and let鈥檚 show Australians that we are here for them and we have the solutions for them.鈥