Australia is no stranger to strong female voices in politics and that continues to be the case in 2025, especially in the last couple of months as we come out of big political events such as the Federal Budget announcement and the Federal Election. Among party leadership changes, budget debates, cabinet shuffles and social policy flashpoints dominating headlines, women are not just present in the conversation — in many cases, they are the conversation.
From Sussan Ley’s elevation to Liberal leader, to Monique Ryan’s sustained presence as an Independent disruptor, and Larissa Waters stepping into the Greens’ top job, the media has had no shortage of powerful female figures to cover. But how evenly is that attention spread? Which female politicians in Australia are receiving the most media coverage, and from which news outlets?
To find out, we analysed over 2,000 online news articles from major Australian outlets over a one-month period. The result is a revealing look at whose voices are being amplified, when, and why.
Using our media monitoring platform, we tracked over 2000 media articles across national online outlets including ABC News, The Australian, SBS, Sky News, AFR, Guardian Australia, and news.com.au, capturing how the press covered Australia's leading female political figures. With the Liberal and Greens parties each undergoing leadership changes, and the Labor’s Cabinet mix up, the media’s attention turned sharply toward a handful of women shaping the national conversation.
Topping the mentions chart are:
These five accounted for over 75% of all female political coverage in the monitored period.
Why Were They Covered?
Sussan Ley: Coverage of Ley spiked on May 13 when she was elected leader of the Liberal Party. Headlines focused on the party’s need for a reset and her appeal as a moderate.
Media discussion also echoed recurring themes of the "glass cliff"—where women are elevated into leadership during moments of crisis—and framed Ley’s election as a symbolic reset after the Coalition’s federal election loss.
Monique Ryan: As a high-profile Independent, Ryan featured consistently throughout the period. Her mentions weren’t concentrated on a single date but covered her commentary on health reform and government transparency as well as the outcome of the election in her seat of Kooyong in Melbourne, where she held off her Liberal challenger Amelia Hamer.
Penny Wong: As Minister for Foreign Affairs and a senior figure in the Labor government, Wong plays a central role in shaping Australia's diplomatic posture. Her coverage focused on tensions in the Asia-Pacific, particularly with China. She also featured prominently in bilateral initiatives and regional cooperation.
Jacinta Price: Senator Price saw a surge in mentions around 24 April during debates on Indigenous recognition and cultural reform. She also made headlines for her defection to the liberal party and bid for the deputy leadership of that party.
Michelle Rowland: Michelle Rowland was the second leading female from the Labor party and attracted the most mentions within coverage of Albanese’s new Cabinet. Discussion on Labor’s factional negotiations and ‘ousting’ of MP Mark Dreyfus was the leading driver of this, with reports tending to focus more on Dreyfus' departure than scrutinising Rowland’s appointment. Some critics questioned the appropriateness of her elevation to one of the nation’s top legal and ethical oversight roles.
Sussan Ley’s rise was framed as a response to both the Coalition’s electoral losses and internal party demands for reform. Media coverage highlighted her moderate positioning, her gender, and the symbolic timing of her appointment. A consistent theme across Sky News and The Australian speculating on Ley’s ability to shift from culture-war politics toward centrist credibility. While Sky News commentator Andrew Bolt called to give Ley a chance, a swathe of The Australian and Sky News reports made allegations that Sussan Ley is ‘woke’ and ‘flaky’. Interestingly, the key detractors of Ley in the media were predominantly women - Rita Panahi, Prue MacSween and Lower House colleague Pauline Hanson.
Larissa Waters (Greens), elected leader on 14 May, also saw a spike in mentions. Media portrayed her as a stabilising figure following Adam Bandt’s departure, with outlets like ABC and Guardian Australia framing her leadership as grounded in experience and continuity. Her track record in the Senate and environmental advocacy framed her leadership as experience-based rather than disruptive.
Ley, Ryan, and Wong featured consistently throughout the month. Price and Rowland had more concentrated bursts of coverage linked to specific policy events. One emerging figure was Hannah Ferguson (Independent), founder of Cheek Media and a new Senate candidate. She was featured in 44 articles, mostly between 5-10 May.
Media coverage patterns suggest that different outlets tend to focus on different politicians and topics:
Mentions of the Liberal Party’s Jacinta Price and Sussan Ley were more highly represented by Sky News and news.com.au compared with other outlets. A very small percentage of Price’s mentions appeared in the Australian Financial Review.
Monique Ryan’s mentions appeared most in The Australian, with the outlet, though notably many of these were Sky News articles or videos reposted to News Corp’s online mastheads. Many of these scrutinised the Teal candidate’s activities during the campaign trail, including her ‘refusal’ to engage with Sky News reporters, and focused on increasing pressure from Liberal candidate Amelia Hamer.
Labor’s Penny Wong also had more mentions published in The Australian compared with other outlets. The Australian had a strong presence in election coverage, producing at least a quarter of mentions for each of the leading female politicians.
These trends suggest that editorial orientation—alongside access, audience alignment, and party affiliation—plays a role in shaping which female political voices are amplified and when. Coverage of leaders like Sussan Ley and Larissa Waters shows how narratives around leadership, reform, and identity play out post-election. At the same time, the steady media presence of Independents like Monique Ryan and newcomers like Hannah Ferguson indicates a growing interest in political diversity. Australia's media isn’t just reporting the rise of female political figures—it’s shaping their public image.
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