Everything you need to know about quotas in Federal Politics
Today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was “open” to a discussion on gender quotas in the Liberal Party. This came after Science Minister Karen Andrews acknowledged "we can’t continue doing the same thing and expect a different outcome. So I’m certainly open to a discussion about quotas”.
Now feels like a good time to explain what quotas are, and how they apply in politics.
Quotas are designed to address the unequal participation of women and minority groups in areas of society where they are historically under-represented, including in political institutions. Quotas broadly involve setting a certain number or percentage of places to be occupied by the under-represented groups. According to the International Parliamentary Union, Australia is ranked 49th in the world in women's representation in Parliament.
In Federal politics, the Australian Labor Party has long had quotas for women in the party. In 1994, the Labor Party set a quota of 30% women, and by 2025, will have a quota of 50%. The Coalition does not have any quota systems in place.
According to a Parliamentary Library paper, the Federal Labor Party has 48% women MPs and Senators. Comparatively, the Coalition has 26% women MPs and Senators.
Arguments for quotas:
This is a "last resort" for achieving gender parity. Without this structural change, women will continue to be unequally represented in Federal Parliament
It has worked for the Labor Party. They are close to achieving gender parity in the Federal Parliament
Arguments against quotas:
According to Science Minister Karen Andrews, "I felt they [quotas] were a disadvantage to women, because they would be perceived as only getting promoted, only getting a job, because they were a number”
Parliamentary candidate preselection should be based on merit