Liberals re-examine gender quotas in slew of proposals to make party ‘fit-for-purpose political machine’

Angus Taylor has stated his opposition, but discussion paper’s authors warn ‘if we want a different outcome, we need to be prepared to do things differently’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The Liberal party is canvassing views on gender quotas among possible interventions to increase the number of women in its parliamentary ranks, which it says is critical to the long-term survival of the movement. The idea has re-emerged in a new discussion paper from the Liberal Party Commission, an internal group established under former leader Sussan Ley to review the party after consecutive thumping federal election defeats. The discussion paper, circulated to supporters on Wednesday, canvasses options to renew the party’s ageing membership base, select “competitive candidates”, better engage with multicultural communities and young people, and improve its internal structures and campaigning. “We hold few seats in urban areas, core demographics continue to turn away from us without looking back, our membership is ageing, and campaign resources are stretched,” the chair of the commission, Queensl