Liberal backbencher Sarah Henderson has added her voice to calls for the coalition to increase the representation of women in the party, calling for "robust targets".
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The Liberals are under fire for the lack of female MPs in their ranks after junior minister Jane Prentice lost a preselection battle ahead of the federal election.
"I think women sometimes make better members of parliament ... so it's very important we get more women," Ms Henderson told ABC TV on Monday.
"We do need to work harder and I do think we need to have very, very robust targets and do more."
Only 13 of the 76 coalition members of parliament's lower house are women, and only five of them hold positions in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's 24-seat cabinet.
Minister for Women Kelly O'Dwyer established a fighting fund for female coalition candidates in March, tipping in $50,000 to get it started, with Mr Turnbull pledging to match the contribution.
But the Liberals are unlikely to meet their target of 50 per cent female representation in parliament by 2025, the party's federal president says.
"It's tough from where we are now, given the realities of the timetable," Nick Greiner told the ABC on Sunday night.
"The important thing is to maintain the pressure, to maintain the direction and to try and win the argument within the party about the importance."
Australian Associated Press