A diverse field of highly-qualified women are vying for Liberal pre-selection in the Aston by-election, with party insiders pushing for a female candidate to contest the marginal seat.
The race comes after former cabinet minister Alan Tudge handed in his formal resignation to Parliament on Friday, leaving a vacancy in his suburban seat in Melbourne's outer east.
His decision followed a grilling at the Robodebt royal commission and accusations of emotional and physical abuse during a consensual relationship with his staffer — allegations he has always den ied.
The seat of Aston takes in suburbs such as Ferntree Gully, Boronia and Bayswater.
The once safe Liberal seat is now marginal after outgoing MP Alan Tudge was re-elected in the May 2022 federal election with a margin of just 2.8 per cent.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already announced Mary Doyle as Labor's candidate.
Mr Tudge's resignation has come with party and public pressure to pre-select a woman for the job.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has already said he wants the Liberal party to preselect a female candidate.
In a statement, Mr Dutton said he had spoken with key Victorian Liberal figures about that expectation.
Liberal female representation at 20-year low
La Trobe University political scientist Andrea Carson said the Liberal party currently has lower representation in the lower house then it did under John Howard, more than 20 years ago.
"The Liberal party has stagnated at least for the last 20 years in its female representation, particularly in the lower house," she said.
She said the need to boost female representation comes amid accusations of a party culture that is unwelcoming to women, in addition to more serious allegations of bullying and sexual abuse.
"Since 2010, women voters have predominantly been voting with the progressive parties, such as the ALP, the Greens and independents," she said.
"So if [the Liberals] want to win back an important share of the vote, one would think it would be folly not to pre-select a woman," she said.
The seat of Aston — named after a woman, Tilly Aston, who was a vision-impaired teacher and writer — has never been won by a female candidate since it was established in 1984.
Female candidates line up for Liberal ticket
While the date of the by-election has not yet been set, already a highly-qualified field of contenders have confirmed their nomination for pre-selection by the Liberal party.
Ranjana Srivastava, an oncologist and columnist for the Guardian has confirmed she will be seeking pre-selection.
In a statement, Dr Srivastava welcomed the party's resolve to include more women and asked for "the wider support of members to help me be the face of the change we need".
Migration agent and former Liberal member of Victoria's upper house Cathrine Burnett-Wake has also confirmed her intention to run.
Ms Burnett-Wake was ousted from her party's ticket in the November 2022 state election in favour of a controversial candidate linked to a Pentecostal church, who has since been dropped from the party room.
She has previously lashed out at extremism within politics and within her own party.
"I believe my community ties, career and lived experience put me in the best position to retain the seat for the party," Ms Burnett-Wake said.
Roshena Campbell, a barrister and City of Melbourne councillor also confirmed her nomination, promising to ease the cost of living pressures "facing so many families in the seat".
Elsewhere, deputy principal and former Knox mayor Emanuele Cicchiello confirmed he would also be in the race.
While visiting the electorate on Friday, Mr Dutton said he was confident his party would make the right choice.
"We'll select a strong candidate. We want somebody who understands the issues here in Aston, understands what the response must be," he said.
Liberal party nominations for pre-selection have now closed.
How the party selects the candidate depends on when the government calls the by-election, which could be as soon as March 25.
It is understood that if the by-election is called earlier, the pre-selection could be decided as a top-down decision rather than being put to a vote among Liberal party members.
Labor backs 'suburban mum' Mary Doyle to make history
Labor has already announced its support for former union official Mary Doyle, who also ran at the federal election where she won a 7.3 per cent swing at the time on two-party preferred.
"Basically, I'm a suburban mum. I work full-time. I have a mortgage on a three-bedroom weatherboard house, it needs some repairs," she said.
"I know it's tough out here for people in the outer-eastern suburbs."
Labor are hoping Ms Doyle can make history by winning a by-election seat off the opposition as a sitting government.
"No government has won a seat off an opposition in a by-election in 100 years … but Mary Doyle can make history," Mr Albanese said when announcing her candidacy on Friday.
Ms Carson agreed the race was looking tight.
"The once safe Liberal seat has had its margin ebbed away, and is now a very contestable seat," she said.
"It is within the realms of possibility that it could go to Labor."
A chance too for the seat of Aston to be represented by a woman for the first time since its creation.
