The Minister Assisting the Minister for Women wants to set targets to encourage more female parliamentarians in the Liberal Party but does she have the right marketing formula?
No feminist
This week, Nick Evershed and Shalailah Medhora reported that in terms of women in Australian politics, the gender gap has widened; “From a high point of 30.8 percent in 2009, the proportion of women in Australian parliaments declined to 29 percent in 2013.”
Back in 2014, Western Australia Senator Michaelia Cash, the person charged with advising Prime Minister Tony Abbott on his additional ministerial portfolio of Minister for Women, declared to the National Press Club that she was not a feminist; “In terms of feminism, I’ve never been someone who really associates with that movement.”
On Tuesday, Cash rejected the Labor Party’s renewed policy of setting quotas for female parliamentarians. Instead she called for a “target system”.
“The Liberal party does not believe in quotas, and never has. We could bring in a quota tomorrow of 50%, but what does it say to those women who have been brought in?” she asked.
So is the non-feminist, target setting, minister assisting senator the right person to be championing the Liberal Party’s message of adding more female politicians to its ranks?
A look back Michaelia
Senator Cash is an animated feature of the federal senate.
Animated Michaelia Cash series
Senator Cash’s theatrical style of speaking lends itself well to satirical GIF and meme makers.
"Hairspray" starring Julia, Michaela & Bronwyn – #TonysMovieNight #AusPol pic.twitter.com/MCumIMLmda
— Kiera (@KieraGorden) May 23, 2014
-Ends
The Liberals are very short on people advocating some sort of gender equality. I have higher respect for the Liberal Member for Murray Sharman Stone, who has stated the Liberal Party should introduce a quota for female representation, and makes the point that ministerial portfolios are allocated to the National Party in the Coalition based on seat representation rather than merit. She spoke out on this strongly in March 2014 as well. Read Michael Burge’s article which details Sharman Stone likes her fruit DIFFERENT and is not afraid to speak up on a range of issues, including the lies peddled by Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey. The Liberal Party needs more MPs of her standing.