Even in the event of a sweeping election win, the Liberal Party is set to fall short of the gender parity goals it set ten years ago.
While the likelihood of a Coalition government is fading, the party’s inability to reach 50% female representation was effectively sealed months ago when local branches selected their candidates.
Two high-profile female Coalition MPs who are stepping down have been replaced by male candidates, and overall, just 34% of Liberal candidates nationwide are women.
Kay Cook, a gender and policy specialist at Swinburne University, told NewsWire that the underrepresentation of women weakens Australia’s democratic foundations. “It highlights stark differences in how each party perceives who should hold power and represent the community,” she said.
She noted the gender disparity among candidates is noticeable nationwide. “The Liberals appear to suggest leadership and representation come in the form of a middle-aged, usually white male — a far cry from Australia’s actual diversity,” Dr Cook explained.
“Women make up the majority of the population. Our representatives should reflect and share the experiences of those they represent. Otherwise, it sends the message that power can be exercised without lived experience — a notion that undermines true representative democracy.”
While Liberal leaders have resisted quotas, the Nationals benefit from a cabinet quota when in Coalition.
By contrast, Labor introduced a mandate in 2002 requiring 35% of winnable seats be contested by women, a target that has since risen to 50%. In the outgoing parliament, Labor had 47% women in the lower house and 70% in the Senate — 53% overall.
The Liberals, by comparison, had 20% women in the lower house and 45% in the Senate, equating to 29% overall.
Only three female Coalition MPs hold safe seats — Angie Bell, Sussan Ley, and Anne Webster — compared to 15 men with strong electoral margins. Alison Penfold is contesting the safe Nationals seat of Lyne after David Gillespie’s retirement.
In moderately secure seats (won by 6–10%), women are also underrepresented. Karen Andrews’ departure from McPherson leaves three incumbent women competing in such seats, versus 11 men.
In marginal electorates, the gender gap is less pronounced. Of the 26 key battlegrounds, 12 feature female Coalition candidates with a realistic chance of winning.
“If the Liberals somehow form government, there will be very few women in cabinet roles with real influence,” Dr Cook added.
She also said Peter Dutton’s campaign has focused heavily on traditionally male-dominated areas, and pointed to a recent confrontation between the Opposition Leader and a journalist over his policies on female-majority industries.
Earlier in the campaign, amid shifting positions on office attendance mandates, Mr Dutton acknowledged the issue when pressed about the Coalition’s appeal to women. While he admitted the party had “work to do,” his response notably avoided the term “women.”
“We’ll see a lot of polling between now and election day, and we certainly have areas we need to improve on,” he said on April 7.
“We may be the underdogs, but we’re the only party capable of providing support during uncertain times and managing the economy if global headwinds worsen.”
