The Coalition’s new shadow minister for women, Melissa McIntosh, has called for a cultural overhaul of the Liberal Party, including bringing in experts on “organisational and gender equality design” to radically reshape it to better support women.
In a letter to the NSW Women’s Council that met on Wednesday night to discuss gender quotas, Ms McIntosh writes that while she is open to that idea, she wants bigger systemic change that involves experts in forcing cultural change in the party.
“Too much is at stake to rely on instinct or assumption,” she writes in the letter.
Liberal leader Sussan Ley’s National Press Club speech featured her claims that she would consider quotas if the party’s state divisions saw them as the solution to gender equity.
Days later, Angus Taylor said mentoring and recruitment were a better way to do it, adding that the Labor Party “subverted democracy” with its quota strategy.
Melissa McIntosh says it’s time for a substantial redesign of the Liberal Party. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
“I caution against reducing the complexity of this issue to a ‘yes or no’ on quotas.
“Gender equality in the Liberal Party isn’t solely about numbers — it’s about representation, culture, and the systems that support a woman’s experience from joining the Party to rising in its ranks. When a woman reaches leadership, those foundations must be strong enough to withstand attempts to push her out, including the kinds of aggressive behaviour, out of area branch stacking, and membership blocking I have personally experienced,” she writes.
Call for more mentoring
The new shadow minister writes that women entering politics need mentorship, networks and “most significantly at this stage in our Party’s evolution, cultural change”.
McIntosh writes that strong systems help open the door, but it is the party’s culture that determines whether “women stay, thrive, and reach the heights of leadership and success”.
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“I urge that the broader review of the Liberal Party include a thorough evaluation of our culture, structures and systems. A structural re-design might consider gender-balanced candidate pools to ensure equality of opportunity — consistent with our values — rather than prescribing outcomes.
“We should also examine leadership pipelines, mentorship initiatives, and other evidence-based mechanisms that reflect our principles. Culture and structure must evolve together.”
Ms McIntosh warns that culture does not shift on sentiment alone. “Systems do not change without redesign. This review must be rigorous, principled, and data-driven, anchored in the values we stand for. If we get this right, I truly believe real, lasting change is possible.”