Updated
Julia Banks has delivered a scathing critique of
Australian politics after abandoning the governing Liberal Party and
moving to the crossbench.
Key points:
- Julia Banks leaves the Liberal Party after complaining about behaviour of colleagues
- The first-term MP says major parties are "years behind" business in treatment of women
- Her defection make the Government's hold on Parliament even more precarious
The decision by the first-term MP leaves the Government struggling to keep control of the House of Representatives.
Ms Banks, a former lawyer and company director, described the treatment of women in Parliament as "years behind" the business world.
"Equal representation of men and women in this Parliament is an urgent imperative that will create a culture change," she said.
"There's the blinkered rejection of quotas and support of the merit myth, but this is more than a numbers game."
Liberal senator Lucy Gichuhi said the party could not "hide our face in the sand".
"As a Liberal Party, we just need to accept that we have some areas that we are not doing great, and one of those areas is just about women in leadership.
"Stop beating up our women."Centre Alliance MP Rebekha Sharkie, herself a former Liberal Party staffer, told the ABC that Ms Banks's move demonstrates the Liberal Party's problem with women is only getting worse.
"It's moved from an elephant in the room to the mammoth in the room," she said.
She described crossbenchers Ms Banks, Cathy McGowan, Kerryn Phelps and herself as "sensible, centrist" women focused on issues the Government has ignored, such as corruption, children on Nauru and real action on climate change.
"If the Government continues to ignore these issues, it will do so at its own peril," she warned.
"We're not saying anything radical here, we're just attuned to the wider Australian community values and expectations."
Frydenberg defends party's treatment of women
Liberal MP Sarah Henderson said she was sad that Ms Banks had left the party but also that her experience had been different."All of my colleagues on my side of politics have treated me with respect and consideration during that very difficult time when there was the change of prime minister," she said.
"So I say to my colleagues, thank you."
Immediately before Ms Banks resigned, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison, was asked about the Liberal Party's approach to women.
"I'm a proud dad of a young daughter. Scott, the Prime Minister, is a proud dad of two young daughters," Mr Frydenberg said.
"We want our party to provide the best opportunity for our daughters."
Ms Banks's defection leaves the Coalition holding 74 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, meaning they require support of crossbenchers to ensure they retain control of Parliament.
'Their actions were undeniably for themselves'
Ms Banks also accused the major parties of undertaking "obstructionist and combative actions and internal games, all for political point-scoring rather than for timely, practical, sensible decisions on matters which Australians care about".And she singled out the behaviour of her former Liberal colleagues in deposing former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
"Led by members of the reactionary right-wing, the coup was aided by many MPs trading their vote for a leadership change in exchange for an individual promotion, preselection endorsements or silence," she said.
"Their actions were undeniably for themselves, for their position in the party, their power, their personal ambition, not for the Australian people who we represent."
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