Five women who should have been in Abbott's cabinet - and yes, on merit
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/18/women-abbott-cabinet Version 0 of 1. It’s perhaps not surprising that Tony Abbott has appointed one of the most male-dominated Australian cabinets in the past two decades. The modern Liberal and National parties are not exactly paragons of gender balance. Scroll through the list of Coalition members of Parliament, and a sea of old(er) men confronts you. Female faces are few and far between. Just to take one example: in the recent election, the Queensland LNP ran six women in a total of 30 seats. In New South Wales, the Liberals ran 10 women in 43 seats. In Victoria, it was six in 37. So when Abbott said on Tuesday that “there are some very good and talented women knocking on the door of the cabinet and there are lots of good and talented women knocking on the door of the ministry,” he’s actually sugar-coating the issue somewhat. The Coalition’s diversity problem is not just about women in cabinet: it stretches all the way down to who gets pre-selected. Part of the problem is that the Coalition has recently lost some of its best female talent, with the retirement of parliamentarians like Judith Troeth and Judy Moylan. Perhaps this is why Liberal senator Sue Boyce argues that gender bias is “a system issue for our party." This issue aside, there are Coalition parliamentarians that Abbott could have promoted, had he wanted to. Who are these female door-knockers, you ask? Here are five that we think are good enough to be in Australia’s cabinet – on merit. Sharman Stone as minister for Indigenous affairs Sharman Stone is one of the most highly credentialed and well-respected women in the Coalition caucus. The member for Murray was a parliamentary secretary and then a minister in John Howard’s government. In opposition, she held a string of shadow portfolios under Brendan Nelson and Malcolm Turnbull. Stone was performing well as the shadow immigration spokeswoman, before losing her slot to Scott Morrison in a reshuffle. The rest, as they say, is history: Morrison went on to become a key attack dog for Abbott’s “stop the boats” campaign, while Stone has languished on the backbench. Nearly everyone agrees Stone has the calibre to be a cabinet minister; her CV is more substantial than several of the cabinet ministers Abbott has promoted. For instance, Stone’s academic record suggests she would be a better choice for minister for Indigenous affairs than Nigel Scullion, who did not distinguish himself as a minister under Howard. Sussan Ley as minister for early childhood Another champion for regional Australia, the Liberal member for Farrer combines knockabout charm with a background in accounting and finance. The mother of three famously worked as a shed hand and shearer’s cook, as well as an air traffic controller and director of technical training for the Australian Tax Office; she still holds a commercial pilot’s license. Promoted by Abbott to the outer ministry as assistant minister for education, Ley will focus on early childhood education. Given the critical importance of childcare and kindergarten to working families and the future productivity of the nation, there’s no reason why such a role could not be a cabinet position. Let's appoint her to minister or early childhood. Marise Payne as minister for social services The long-serving Liberal senator for New South Wales is the incoming minister for human services, but will be out of the cabinet as a junior minister. Payne is an experienced legislator and a deft committee worker who first entered parliament in 1997. She held a string of shadow portfolios in opposition and is respected as a moderate on social issues within the party. Payne’s first speech defended the human rights of HIV sufferers and quoted from a Patrick White poem. Payne will work under cabinet minister Kevin Andrews, despite Andrews’ poor record in Howard’s government. She could easily replace him as the cabinet-level minister for social services. Theresa Gambaro as minister for small business Currently the member for Brisbane, Theresa Gambaro is one of the conservative Queenslanders that have so successfully turned the sunshine state into an LNP bastion. Gambaro was a parliamentary secretary and a junior minister for Howard and has held a series of frontbench positions in opposition. She was a shadow parliamentary secretary, but, despite winning her seat in a tough race, Abbott actually demoted her and she doesn’t feature in the new ministerial line-up. In and out of parliament across two different marginal seats since 1996, Gambaro’s background is classic small business – her Italian parents run a well-known restaurant in Paddington. With a good understanding of the hospitality sector, Gambaro would be a fine candidate for the cabinet position of small business minister. Fiona Nash as minister for agriculture Fiona Nash is in the outer ministry as assistant minister for health, but there’s a good argument that she deserves a cabinet level gig. Popular and presentable, Nash is a former farmer from New South Wales with a good understanding of regional issues and agriculture. Unlike Barnaby Joyce, she has actually worked on the land (Joyce was a rural accountant before entering parliament) and has busied herself with rural affairs committee work in the Senate. As a rural National, Nash is a perfect fit as minister for agriculture, freeing up Joyce for other duties. Honourable mentions There are a number of Liberal and National women who deserve promotion further up the list in the outer ministry and parliamentary secretariat, including Louise Markus, Jane Prentice, and Kelly O’Dwyer. There has also been some new talent enter the parliament at this election, such as Lucy Wicks in Robertson and Sarah Henderson in Corangamite. Ultimately, though, the Coalition does have a problem with female talent. It will need to work harder to ensure that its parliamentary representatives reflect the true diversity of contemporary Australia. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |