Outduding the dudes: I’m a political powerbroker. Here is why I’m wearing a three-piece-suit to work

Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie opens up about why she decided to trade in the dresses and skirts traditionally worn by female politicians for suits and ties.

Senator McKenzie, who regularly appears in the Senate in tailored trousers and blazers, spoke at a federal council meeting on Saturday wearing a pinstripe suit, vest and navy tie with the green and yellow colours of the Nationals.

She told Daily Mail Australia she was surprised her outfit attracted so much attention, partly because she had to wear a tie at school, at horse riding competitions when she was younger and while pheasant shooting.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve done this,” she said.

“But there’s been a lot of commentary on it and I didn’t expect that. I’ve received it both privately and professionally and I find it interesting that it’s provoked that.”

She decided to make suits a permanent part of her parliamentary wardrobe, as there were few clothing options for women when she was elected to the Senate in 2011.

The goal was to draw as little attention to their outfits as possible, but that has changed.

Recently she wore the same outfit for three days during a sitting week to see if anyone would notice. They didn’t.

Ms McKenzie now sees her clothing as a way to let Australians know that she takes her role as an MP seriously and wants to encourage women not to be afraid to take a stand and challenge the status quo.

“Long before I got into politics, when I was a teacher or teaching math, I always tried to focus on empowering young women. And now that I’m in politics, it’s part of my role to do that,” she said.

“But it’s also a bit fun: three-piece suits are hard to find, but suits are not new. Maybe we need more women in suits.”

Ms McKenzie recently described herself as ‘outdoing the dudes’ by wearing a three-piece suit. She qualified the comment by saying: ‘the vest takes the suit to the next level, but it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek’.

The senator also responded to the latest Freshwater Strategy poll, conducted for the Australian Financial Review, which showed voters prefer the opposition to the Albanian government on most key issues.

The poll shows the Coalition has risen one percentage point in a month, with Labor leading 52 percent to 48 percent on a two-party preference basis, marking a 4.1 point shift away from the government since the May 2022 election.

If the same thing were to happen at a federal election, the Coalition would win 75 seats, just one short of a majority, while Labor would fall from 78 to 65.

Ms McKenzie said Australians have had enough of inflation and high interest rates, and that is reflected in the polls.

“Out there in the suburbs, Australians are really struggling and they don’t see the government doing anything meaningful to improve the situation for them,” she said.

‘High inflation is having an impact on interest rates and prices. Rather than taking tough decisions to address this, the government has decided to take a tough approach,’ said Michelle Bullock of the RBA.

Ms Bullock is governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, which makes decisions on inflation figures.

As inflation rises due to massive government spending during the pandemic, Ms McKenzie argues the problem is that Labor continues to spend money rather than cutting it to bring down inflation.

‘We have had three budgets where we have increased government spending, but economists and the Reserve Bank say inflation is domestic and persistent.

‘The Labour Party likes to say that it is an international problem, but it is not. Other countries are actually seeing a decline because their governments have taken difficult decisions.’

She said the coalition is prepared to make those decisions and “lots of choices” about government spending to get rates down.

“People hate it when Labor ministers say, ‘Australians are doing it tough’, as if an expression of empathy is going to make a difference,” she said.

‘Australians are being made to pay more and for longer than necessary.’

The cost of living is the biggest issue still dragging down the Labour government, according to the poll.

It tops the list of the top three issues on voters’ minds, with 74 percent of respondents citing the topic.

The coalition has doubled its lead on this point to 14 points as the best party to tackle price increases.

Housing and accommodation was the second most frequently mentioned issue of concern among voters, followed by health and social care, economic management, crime and social order. The environment and climate change were at the bottom of the list.