The Liberal National Party will host a celebration of International Women's Day at an exclusive Brisbane club that only allows men to be members.
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The lunch will be held at the Tattersall's Club from 11.45am on Friday, two days before International Women's Day on March 8.
An LNP spokesman said the lunch had been organised by party organisation LNP Women.
"Nearly half of the LNP's 14,000 members are women and this event aims to discuss and promote the involvement of more women in politics at all levels," he said.
"The venue was chosen simply on the basis of availability, price and flexibility in a CBD location.
"LNP Women appreciate the efforts of Tattersall's Club in accommodating their function at short notice."
Parliamentary Speaker Fiona Simpson, who will remain in that role until Parliament confirms independent MP Peter Wellington's appointment when it next sits, has been advertised as the keynote speaker.
Tattersall's proudly boasts on its website it is "more than just a club for male members to enjoy", as it also allows their partners and families to accompany them in the plush CBD space.
Ms Simpson appeared unperturbed by the symbolism.
"I'm less troubled by openly 'male only' clubs or openly 'women only' gyms than I am by areas of society that have a veneer of equality but which hide structural impediments or unconscious bias that block women from opportunities," she said.
Other speakers included Nationals federal president Christine Ferguson and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss's wife, Lynn Truss.
The issue spread to Canberra on Wednesday afternoon, when Opposition Leader Bill Shorten asked Prime Minister Tony Abbott to respond to the controversy.
Mr Abbott, also the federal Minister for Women, trumpeted the event as a triumph for feminism.
"This is just how wonderful this broad church that I lead is … obviously they've just broken down the last barrier and they've made the men-only club admit women," he said in a spirited response during question time.
"Admit women! Isn't that fantastic? At last, this bastion of chauvinism has admitted women and they've done it on International Women's Day because of the Liberal National Party.
"Good on the Liberal National Party, smashing the glass ceiling yet again. I say congratulations and thank God that bastion of old-fashioned chauvinism has finally collapsed like the walls of Jericho at the trumpet cry of the Liberal National Party."
Mr Abbott may have overstated the significance of the lunch, as its speakers remained ineligible for Tatts membership.
Queensland Minister for Women Shannon Fentiman appeared surprised at the move.
"Seriously? You can't make this stuff up," she said.
"It shows how out-of-touch the LNP are and their excuse of organising the event at short notice just doesn't stack up, because International Women's Day is held on the eighth of March every year.
"They would have had plenty of warning it was coming."
