Julie Bishop says the Liberal Party and Australia are ready for a female leader.
The foreign minister made the comments during a chat with comedian Judith Lucy which was filmed last March but will air on the ABC later this month.
Ms Bishop has pledged her support for Prime Minister Tony Abbott but has been the subject of speculation as a leadership challenger.
She chats with Lucy for four minutes in the third episode of Judith Lucy is All Woman, which airs on February 25.
The comedian asks Ms Bishop if the Liberal Party is ready for a female leader.
"Absolutely, of course it would be," Ms Bishop replies.
Ms Bishop says Australia was ready for a female leader when Julia Gillard replaced Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister.
"I thought Julia Gillard's appointment saw a great outpouring of support," she says.
"Australia was well and truly ready for an Australian female Prime Minister."
Lucy also drills Bishop about being judged for not having children and whether she ever wanted to be a parent.
She declined on Wednesday to comment on the current political upheaval in Canberra, where Prime Minister Tony Abbott is fending off a potential direct challenge to his leadership.
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