National Senator Bridget McKenzie has spoken out about why she decided to ditch the dresses and skirts traditionally worn by female politicians in favour of suits and ties.
Senator McKenzie, who frequently appears on the Senate floor dressed in tailored trousers and blazers, spoke at a federal council meeting on Saturday dressed in a pinstripe suit, waistcoat and a navy tie in the Nationals’ green and yellow colours.
She told the Daily Mail Australia she was surprised her outfit attracted so much attention, partly because she had to wear a tie to school, during horse riding events when she was younger and while pheasant hunting.
“This is not the first time I’ve done this,” he said.
“But there’s been a lot of feedback about it and that wasn’t something I expected, but I’ve received it both privately and professionally, and I find it interesting that it’s generated that.”
Part of the reason she decided to make suits a staple of her parliamentary wardrobe was because there were very few clothing options for women when she was elected to the Senate in 2011.
The goal was to draw as little attention as possible to their outfits, but things have changed.
She recently wore the same outfit for three days during a week-long shoot to see if anyone would notice. They didn’t.
U.S. Senator Bridget McKenzie is pictured in her three-piece suit at the U.S. Embassy, celebrating the 4th of July.
Bridget McKenzie is pictured in a suit before appearing on television
Senator McKenzie typically wears tailored trousers and blazers, like the light blue one above, in the Senate.
Ms McKenzie now sees her outfit as a way of telling Australians she takes her role as an MP seriously and wants to empower women to not be afraid to stand their ground and challenge the status quo.
“Long before I got into politics, when I was a teacher or teaching maths, I always tried to focus on empowering young women and being in politics now, part of my role is to do that,” she said.
“But it’s also a bit funny: three-piece suits are hard to find, but suits are not a new thing and maybe we need more women in suits.”
McKenzie recently described herself as “a more beautiful woman than the men” by wearing a three-piece suit. To complete her comment, she said that “the vest takes the suit to another level, but it is a bit ironic.”
The senator also responded to the latest Freshwater Strategy poll conducted for the Australian Financial Review, which found voters favour the Opposition on most major issues over the Albanese government.
According to the poll, the Coalition has gained one percentage point in a month and leads Labor by 52 percent to 48 percent on a two-party preference basis. That indicates a 4.1-point shift away from the government since the May 2022 election.
Bridget McKenzie, left, has worn a three-piece suit to a variety of events.
If repeated uniformly at a federal election, the shift would give the Coalition 75 seats, just one short of a majority, while Labor would fall from 78 to 65.
Ms McKenzie said Australians were fed up with inflation and high interest rates, and that was reflected in polls.
“Out there in the suburbs, Australians are suffering a lot and they don’t see the government doing anything meaningful to make things better for them,” he said.
‘The high inflation environment is impacting interest rates and prices, and rather than take tough decisions to deal with that, the government has decided to attack Michelle Bullock at the RBA.’
Ms Bullock is the governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, which makes decisions on inflation rates.
While inflation has risen due to massive government spending during the pandemic, McKenzie said the problem was that Labor was continuing to spend money rather than cut it to reduce inflation.
‘We have had three budgets where we have increased public spending and economists and the Reserve Bank say inflation is home-grown and entrenched.
‘Labour likes to say it’s an international problem, but it’s not: other countries are seeing declines because their governments have made tough decisions.’
Ms McKenzie used to wear skirts and dresses to work (pictured, centre), but feels more comfortable in a suit.
Bridget McKenzie (pictured, second from left) said there were limited clothing options when she joined the Senate in 2011.
She said the Coalition was prepared to make those decisions and make “a lot of choices” on government spending to bring rates down.
“People hate it when Labor ministers say ‘Australians are having a hard time’, as if a statement of empathy is going to make a difference,” he said.
‘Australians are having to pay more and for longer than they should.’
According to the survey, the main problem that continues to weigh down the Labour government is the cost of living.
It tops the list of the three main issues that concern voters, chosen by 74 percent of those surveyed.
The Coalition has doubled its lead on this particular point to 14 points as the best party to curb runaway prices.
Housing and accommodation was the second most important issue of concern to voters, followed by health and social care, economic management, crime and social order, and the environment and climate change ranked second.
