David Shearer: Women-Only Electorates Idea Dumped

Labour leader David Shearer binned the idea of only standing women in certain electorates at his weekly pre-caucus press conference at the Beehive today.

Mr Shearer said the recommendations, which would have barred men from section in certain electorates, was a distraction for the party.

He said he had asked the Labour Party leadership to withdraw the idea which would have been discussed at its annual conference later in the year.

Labour was still committed to having women well represented in parliament but it would achieved this in a way that did not distract Labour “from the issues we want to get out onto the table”.

These were power prices, jobs and the affordable housing, he said

“This distraction is turning our attention away from the issues that most New Zealanders are concerned about. They don't want to know about what is happen within the Labour Party. What they want to know is what we are doing on the issues that affect them.”

Mr Shearer said the the Labour Party remained committed to the target of having 45 percent female caucus women by 2014, with women currently at 42 percent.

'We have not shied away from that goal... it is just simple around the mechanism to achieve that.”

He did not believe it was damaging to his leadership, he said.

Mr Shearer reiterated Labour's desire to see a review of the role of the GCSB before the law changes had gone through parliament rather than afterwards.

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