Not only are there a record number of candidates registered for the Victorian state election, there are also more women running than in any other state or territory election in Australian history.
There are a record 896 candidates this year, compared with 711 in 2010, with 127 female candidates between Liberal, Labor and the Greens.
Labor outperforms the other parties with their representation of women, largely thanks to a rule implemented in 2012 which requires pre-selections result in at least 40% of Labor seats being held by women.
There are 54 Labor women running, representing 43% of the party’s candidates, with the Greens coming second with 46 women representing 35% of their candidates. There are 38 Liberal women running, or 32% of their candidates.
Labor has more than double the number of women running in winnable seats compared with the Liberal party – 22 versus 10.
The Victorian Electoral Commission told Guardian Australia they do not record the gender of candidates so could not confirm the total number of women overall.
But Tanja Kovac, the national convenor of Labor’s gender equity group, Emily’s List, said there are a record number of female candidates overall, as well as a record number for Labor.
“I believe this is the highest number of female candidates being fielded in a state election,” Kovac said.
“We’ve seen a steady increase in the number of women in Victorian politics, but you can see the difference in that increase between the major parties, with Labor fielding the highest number.
“That’s because Labor has adopted a strategy to promote, mentor, train and support women and to achieve targets for their representation.”
Last Friday, the minister for community services, Mary Wooldridge, told the Herald Sun she believed the Liberal party could do more to promote women in Victorian politics.
She was overlooked for preselection in the safe seat of Kew in favour of the less experienced Tim Smith, and she is now contesting for a seat in the upper house.
“We have a lot of great women in the party and we are getting them through the selection process, but there is more we can do,” Wooldridge told the Herald Sun.
Kovac believes all parties should adopt a quota similar to Labor to prevent qualified women from missing out on key positions.
“Mary’s story is a stark example about how Liberal governments abandon women and women leaders in their own party,” she said.
“Mary is considered to be a solid performer but has been totally alienated in her party.”
Wooldridge did not respond to a request for comment from Guardian Australia on Monday afternoon.
From next year, Victorian Labor will spill all candidates if their quota of female candidates is not met. But NSW Labor, while adopting the quota, has no such penalty – women account for 23% of upper and lower house candidates there, with that set to drop further next year.
Women currently comprise 29% of all Australian parliamentarians. The ACT has the highest number of women – just over 41% of their 17 MPs. The Northern Territory comes in second at 40%, followed by Tasmania at about 37%, then Victoria at almost 33%.
Early voting for the Victorian election, to be held on 29 November, opened Monday, with a record 3.8 million Victorians registered to vote.
