Photo: Mr Greiner says a quota for female representation would be "insulting". (ABC News) Time for Liberals to take female representation in Parliament seriously, party president Nick Greiner says By political reporter Richard Baines 19 Aug 2017, (Translation of this article appears in Arabic section) Federal Liberal Party president Nick Greiner says it is time for the party to "at last" take female representation in Parliament "seriously". Mr Greiner told delegates at the party's state conference in Tasmania the number of women voting Liberal had dropped since 2001. "It's actually time to improve the results and the results simply mean having more women in winnable positions," he said. "I do hope that around Australia the party will at last take this seriously and take it seriously in terms of outcomes." There are just 18 female Liberal parliamentarians across the two houses of Federal Parliament. That is despite the party's target of 50 per cent female representation in Parliament by 2025. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's 21-person Coalition Cabinet has five women holding portfolios. Mr Greiner said he does not support a quota for female representation as that would be "insulting", but he plans on enlisting the help of former senator Helen Kroger to boost the number of women in party ranks. "To work with each of the state presidents and the state divisions, not just to come up with another report," he said. "But with a genuinely targeted approach to improving our performance in this area. "Is it too much to expect or to hope that out of five seats that one might have two female candidates?" Last year, the Liberal Party's federal executive signed off on a 10-year plan to increase female representation. It includes a bid to recruit more women at a grassroots level and offer mentoring to those interested in standing for election. |
