Quotas involve a change in party rules that would require a proportion of winnable seats be filled by female candidates.

Under this model, if the quota is at risk of not being met, the Party can:

• Intervene in a preselection process to appoint a female candidate.
• Withhold endorsement of a male candidate if needed to balance numbers.

Gender quotas were first introduced by the Australian Labor Party at its 1994 National Conference. The initial rule stated that 35% of all winnable seats (federal, state, and territory) must be filled by women by 2002.

Centre-right political parties have also employed quotas. Germany’s CDU, for example, has a gender quota which requires that 30% of all party positions (including elected offices, leadership roles, and appointments) be held by women by 2025.

In Australia, quotas have for a long time been viewed by many Party members and leaders as antithetical to Liberal values, potentially devaluing the achievements of women who have been elected on merit.

The Goward-Minchin review of the 2025 federal election did not recommend the adoption of quotas.

Arguments for

Where they have been utilised – both in Australia and overseas – quotas have, over time, improved gender balance. After the 2022 federal election, 53% of ALP federal MPs were women.

Arguments Against

Quotas override merit-based selection, which is contrary to Liberal Party values.

Merit should be the primary criterion for selection of candidates. Choosing a candidate based on any criteria other than merit could undermine electoral competitiveness.