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Charlotte Mortlock Quits Liberal Party and Leaves Hilma’s Network

The move follows Sussan Ley’s ouster, signaling stalled momentum on gender quotas in NSW.

Overview

  • Charlotte Mortlock announced she has stepped down as executive director of Hilma’s Network and relinquished her Liberal Party membership.
  • Her decision came two days after Angus Taylor defeated Sussan Ley for the Liberal leadership in a 34–17 party-room vote.
  • Mortlock helped draft a plan to boost female representation that proposed a 40% target for women, reserving some NSW seats for women-only preselections, and requiring at least half of preselection candidates to be women.
  • The NSW branch removed a planned state council vote on the quota proposal, and the federal review of the 2025 election remains unpublished.
  • Hilma’s Network said Victorian representative Erin Watson will take over as chief executive, while Deputy Leader Jane Hume called Mortlock’s exit a sad moment for the party.