Internal Labor Party pressure is said to be aggrieving Bill Shorten, as his colleagues push for him to implement promised gay and Indigenous MP quotas.

According to The Australian, the Opposition Leader may be at risk of reneging on his promise, having done little to follow through on the meritocracy-slamming guarantee he made in 2013. It’s thought the move was a strategic attempt by Shorten to secure crucial votes, when he went head-to-head with Anthony Albanese for the party leadership five years ago.

2GB’s Luke Grant has slammed the proposal, calling it a “ridiculous notion.”

“It is preposterous.”

“This should alone disqualify Bill Shorten from ever being Prime Minister of Australia. It is wrong.”

“I want Parliament to look like we have the best 150 or thereabouts MPs in the lower house that we could find. I don’t care about colour, I don’t care about their sexual preference, I don’t care about their gender.”

Eric Abetz agrees, saying quotas could perpetuate the very discrimination they seek to shut down.

“What it means is that in prioritising one group, you in fact discriminate against another group. You need the best person possible.”

“We should encourage everybody. If there are particular problems or obstacles put in peoples’ way that mitigates against them being able to fulfill their ambition, then of course we should address that.”

“ But people should be elected and selected on the basis of merit.”

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