A "temporary" quota for women should be introduced by the Liberal Party, according to former minister Linda Reynolds.
The West Australian senator said her suggestion for quotas followed the disastrous election results, which showed women were increasingly turning their backs on the party.
"I've never been in favour of quotas, but I am now open to the concept of a temporary quota," Senator Reynolds told Sky News on Wednesday.
"Just using the word quota, it sends shivers down the spines of many Liberals, men and women.
"I've done this to provoke discussion and it has certainly done that.
"Whether it's a target with teeth, as people in the Liberal Party are talking about, or whether it's a temporary quota, you've still got to make the change within the organisation, culturally and structurally, to actually make sure that those changes stick."
Senator Reynolds also admitted the recommendations from a "grim" 2016 report to analyse the declining female vote had not been implemented by any of the party's state or territory divisions six years later.
The report found the lack of female candidates had a direct correlation with a declining female vote," she said.
"The good news in all of this is that the party is now having overdue but welcome discussions on how to implement these recommendations," Senator Reynolds said.
"Leaders Peter Dutton, Sussan Ley, are all having these discussions now ... while we've recognised we've got the problem and that we need to act.
"The best place for the party to start is with the report that we adopted in 2016, and actually implement the recommendations to meet voluntary targets of more women in our leadership positions in the party, but also as candidates in winnable seats."
A record number of women have been elected to the House of Representatives for the 47th parliament.
But in the Liberal Party, nine of its 42 seats are held by women, the lowest number since 1993.
Former party director Brian Loughnane and Victorian senator Jane Hume are reviewing the 2022 election campaign.
In its submission to the review, the Young Liberals say the party failed to recruit, retain and promote women, as well as failing to have a strategy to achieve its goal to have 50 per cent female elected members by 2025.
Submissions for the review closed last Friday.
Australian Associated Press
