While Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s new 22-member cabinet, following the federal election, includes seven women - a record number - the Labor Party appears to be struggling to replace former deputy leader Tanya Plibersek and keep its promise of promoting women to senior roles within its ranks.
Although Labor has better representation of Lower House MPs and Senators (47% of member are women compared to 23% in the coalition), Dr Aly says the problem within Labor is basically having women in marginal seats which prevent them from being promoted.
“It is a setback, I am going to be honest, it's a setback," she told SBS Arabic24.
The high-profile MP is nervously waiting to see whether she will hold her marginal seat of Cowan in Western Australia after the country's federal election held on May 18th 2019.
Labor's Anne Aly has a slim lead of the two-party preferred vote in Cowan. (AAP) Source: AAP
Ms Aly, an Egyptian-born counter-terrorism expert became the first Muslim woman elected to federal parliament in 2016 with a margin of just 0.7 per cent. But she faced stiff competition from the Liberal Party's Isaac Stewart.
"We are the Labor Party that said 50% of our MP’s will be women," she said.
"However, most women hold marginal seats which makes it much harder to hold a senior role. We have a lot of work ahead of us”.
Having women in parliament is not enough, according to Dr Aly, who says that women need to be on the frontbench and have a say in major policies.
“Having women in the backbench is not enough. Policies made affect women differently to men and we need women to be in the cabinet and have their say as those policies will affect every woman in Australia,” she said.
Labor candidate for Cowan Anne Aly. Source: AAP
A mirror of society
Dr Aly says that parliament needs to be a mirror of society, to include not just more women but also more people with disabilities and those from ethnic minorities.
She cited the example of the Egyptian Parliament that currently has 11 members who identify as people with disability, nine of whom are women.
A recent found that women comprised only 37% of candidates from major parties running for the Lower House in this year's federal election; only 1% had a disability and only 1 in 10 candidates came from culturally diverse backgrounds.
'I want young girls to look at the TV and see women who look like them' - Anne Aly
Speaking about what inspired her to enter federal politics Dr Aly said that she realised that things have to change. No one in parliament looked like her, she said, or was born overseas or even to a Muslim family.
“I want young girls to look at the TV and see women who look like them, who live a similar lifestyle to them being heard," she said.
"This young girl needs to know that this Parliament is hers and that she has a voice there”.
Labor member for Cowan Anne Aly delivers her maiden speech in the House of Representatives at Parliament House Canberra, Monday, Sept 12 2016. Source: AAP
And when it comes to challenges facing women in federal parliament, Dr Aly said that she is no stranger to male-dominated fields, having worked in academia in the past.
“I was the first Arab woman, first Muslim woman. I am breaking stereotypes on a daily basis. I have to fight for what parliament should be and that on its own a challenge”.
'This is our country, we need to encourage our kids to be whatever they want to be. If we don’t have a voice in federal parliament, nothing will ever change,'
Making a plea to migrant families, Dr Aly said that although politics is a traditionally male-dominated field migrant parents need to allow their kids to be anything they aspire.
“This is our country, we need to encourage our kids to be whatever they want to be. If we don’t have a voice in federal parliament, nothing will ever change,” she said.
'We need your daughters, the country needs you and needs your kids to have a voice.”
