THE Member for Northern Victoria, Wendy Lovell, has said she’s open to the idea of discussing quotas and ways to encourage more women into the parliament and the Liberal Party.
Ms Lovell, a member of the Liberal Party who has represented the region in the Victorian Upper House since 2002, joins a growing chorus of Coalition leaders and MPs who say the idea should be considered.
“We also have to recognise that the Liberal Party has a democratic process when it comes to preselecting candidates for an election,” she said.
“Local members here have a very strong record of supporting women.”
Ms Lovell referred to former Senator Kay Patterson’s description of the Goulburn Valley region as ‘The Valley of the Amazons’, making mention of a number of politicians and pre-selected candidates including Sharman Stone, Donna Petrovich, Amanda Millar, Jeanette
Powell, Cheryl Hammer and even long-serving member Fran Bailey in McEwan, all of whom represented the Liberal Party.
“This area has a strong record of preselecting, and then electing women, and the whole Liberal Party could learn from us,” Ms Lovell said.
“I’d also extend a hand and say if there are any women who think they want to enter politics or parliament, I’m more than happy to meet with them and talk about it.”
