Women to outnumber men in Anthony Albanese’s government as record number elected to Parliament

New faces will be welcomed to the fold as Labor politicians come together for the first time since their emphatic victory at the federal election.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will address the caucus meeting in Canberra on Friday after his party’s landslide win.

The scale of the success has taken even senior Labor ministers by surprise, lending to a buoyant feeling among the party’s members.

A record number of women will be taking their seats in parliament, with women to outnumber men in the Labor partyroom.

At least 46 seats will be held by women in the Labor government out of a total of 150 in the House of Representatives.

More than a dozen new MPs will join the ranks after Labor increased its seats from 77 to at least 90 as the count continues.

Australian National University political historian Frank Bongiorno said Labor hadn’t had a victory this size since 1943.

‘It’s a remarkable opportunity for the government to craft a legacy, which could extend even beyond this term,’ he said.

‘Governments don’t normally extend their majorities … you normally win your first election reasonably comfortably, and then you begin burning political capital straight away in that first term, and then often have to scrape a win the second time round.’

New Dickson MP Ali France has been hailed a ‘Labor legend’ after she became the first person to unseat an opposition leader at an election with her defeat of Peter Dutton.

Former Tasmanian state Opposition leader Rebecca White’s victory in Lyons has her among the contenders to be elevated to the ministry, expected to be unveiled on Monday ahead of a swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.

The depleted Liberals will hold a partyroom meeting on Tuesday to pick their new leader with Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley looming as the leading candidates.

Attracting women voters and candidates has been a major issue for the coalition.

The new women joining Labor’s ranks were to the party’s ‘major political advantage’, Professor Bongiorno said.

‘We know that there will be women at the table, at the cabinet table, there’ll be women there in caucus when issues come up that are of particular interest to women,’ he said.

‘We know that women’s voices and women’s agency will be there.’

Meanwhile, Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley has officially announced her tilt at the leadership, confirming she will put herself forward to refresh a decimated party. 

The Liberals will meet in Canberra on Tuesday to choose a new leader, with shadow treasurer Angus Taylor also courting colleagues for the top job. 

‘I’m determined and convinced that I am the right person to lead the party forward at this time and I think my appointment would send a strong signal to the women of Australia,’ Ms Ley told Seven’s Sunrise on Friday. 

Ms Ley acknowledged the Liberals suffered a significant defeat and needed to ‘meet the Australian people where they are, because clearly we didn’t do that at the last election’.

The bloodletting continues ahead of Tuesday’s meeting as the coalition’s Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price defected from sitting with the National Party to the Liberals.

As a Country Liberal Party senator from the Northern Territory, she can choose to sit in either partyroom but the spot has historically sided with the Nationals.

Her colleagues have expressed disappointment as it means the loss of a Nationals senator takes the party below the five needed in the Senate to receive entitlements offered to larger parties.

Queensland MP Michelle Landry branded it disloyal.

‘We’re all very upset that she’s decided to move over to the Liberals and I just think that there’s a lack of loyalty there,’ she told ABC radio.