Two months on from Mr Morrison leaving parliament, former home affairs minister and one of the Liberal Party's most senior female members, Karen Andrews, is also preparing to exit federal politics.
In the three years since Mr Morrison made those comments, she hasn't seen any evidence of the party making any progress towards preselecting more women, including in Cook and in her Queensland seat of McPherson.
In Cook, the successful male candidate was given access to contact details that may have meant a head start over the competition.
'Blatant, arrogant, overt'What happened in the former prime minister's seat of Cook, described as "blatant, arrogant and overt" by one Liberal hopeful, was a concerted campaign driven by some of the country's most influential figures.
Simon Kennedy moved to the Shire after unsuccessfully running as the Liberal candidate in the Sydney seat of Bennelong in 2022, during which time he lived in the city's eastern suburbs.
Mr Kennedy's list of references for preselection boasted Liberal Party giants, from former party executive Nick Greiner and former prime minister Tony Abbott to heavyweights Angus Taylor and Greg Hunt.
His resume included previous work for consulting firm McKinsey at the same time as shadow treasurer Mr Taylor's brother Charlie Taylor, and a stint advising the Morrison government on its COVID-19 response.
Liberals in Cook, and more widely in NSW, noted to the ABC that Mr Kennedy seemed to be more connected to the upper echelons of the Liberal Party than the other candidates.
But one of his competitors and the only female candidate, Gwen Cherne, also had some impressive backers. She was supported by the likes of West Australian Liberal senator Linda Reynolds and Victorian Nationals MP Darren Chester and received an endorsement from former prime minister John Howard.
Ms Cherne's supporters included Linda Reynolds and former prime minister John Howard.(ABC News: David Sciasci)ABC LINK.
