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One-woman cabinet not good enough: Lib MP

The federal Liberal Party needs to do more to attract female MPs, government backbencher Wyatt Roy says.

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Source: AAP


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Federal Liberal MP Wyatt Roy says it's not good enough that his party has only one woman in its cabinet.

"We on the Liberal side need to get out and find more women if we are to satisfy our obligation to deliver the best possible array of candidates," he wrote in The Australian on Thursday.

"I'm in no way advocating an unjust quota system, but it's not good enough to have one woman in the federal cabinet."

His comments came after Liberal senator Sue Boyce said on Monday she was shocked and embarrassed there would be only one female cabinet minister in the Abbott government.

Liberal MP Kelly O'Dwyer, who many expected to be promoted to the frontbench, was asked whether she was disappointed on missing out.

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"Everybody believes that they have a contribution to make and everybody would like more responsibility," she told Sky News.

But she stressed every MP who was promoted to the ministry was deserving of their promotion.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said this week he was disappointed not to be able to appoint more women to cabinet.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is Mr Abbott's only female cabinet minister.


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