NSW Treasurer Matt Kean has ordered Liberal Party members to "get on board with the program" and preselect more women.
The Liberals are holding several crucial preselections over the coming weeks, ahead of the state election in March.
Many are in safe Liberal seats which are losing high-profile ministers including Brad Hazzard, Rob Stokes and David Elliott.
Yesterday, Mr Hazzard said getting more women in parliament was a "challenge".
"Obviously it would be helpful to have more women in the parliament," the Health Minister said.
"But would you do that to the exclusion of getting good people in?"
Today the Treasurer has put forward a different view and issued a warning to preselectors.
"My message to the branch members at home is get on board with the program," Mr Kean said.
"We need to ensure that our parliamentary party is reflective of the community that we are wanting to serve."
Overall women make up 29 per cent of Liberal representation in both houses of parliament.
There are three Liberal women in Dominic Perrottet's cabinet, while 10 out of the 33 Liberals in the lower house are female.
The Treasurer made the comments while at a domestic violence support services announcement with the Roads Minister Natalie Ward.
Ms Ward is attempting to make the switch from the upper house to the lower house, by replacing the outgoing Speaker Jonathan O'Dea in the Sydney North Shore seat of Davidson.
She's in a tight preselection battle with a former political staffer, Matt Cross.
When asked about Mr Hazzard's comments, the Minister wasn't critical.
"Brad Hazzard is a great supporter of women," Ms Ward said.
"He's been a great mentor of mine."
But she added female representation wass being discussed.
It has been viewed as one of the reasons why the party lost traditional safe Liberal seats to female "Teal" independent candidates at the federal election in May.
"We've listened to the results federally," Ms Ward said.
"We know that we need more women in our party and in our parliament."
Mr Kean has raised concerns about the party's prospects at the March state election, if that doesn't happen.
"Until we are reflective of the community we can't expect the community to be voting for us," he said.
Already the number of women in winnable Liberal seats has gone backwards from the few preselections that have been held.
Former Liberal staffer Luke Sikora has been preselected in the seat of South Coast, after the former minister Shelley Hancock retired.
In Ryde, the Liberal candidate is Jordan Lane in place of outgoing Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, while Kellie Sloane has been preselected in Vaucluse to replace former Attorney-General Gabriel Upton.
Preselections are yet to be held in Mr Hazzard's seat of Wakehurst and Mr Stokes' seat of Pittwater, but both are likely to won by men.
Their seats are on Sydney's northern beaches which covers the area that the Liberals lost to the "Teals" at the federal election.
There has been one Teal Independent candidate, backed by the Climate 200 group, that has so far put their hand up to run.
Joeline Hackman announced she'll run in the neighbouring seat of Manly as a challenger to the current Environment Minister James Griffin.
The Manly electorate is covered by the federal seat of Warringah which is held by Independent Zali Steggall.
