Banks was elected to the
House of Representatives as the
Member for Chisholm at the
2016 federal election. Traditionally a marginal seat, Banks won 45.3% of the first preference votes and was elected with 51.2% of the
two-party-preferred vote, defeating the
Labor candidate Stefanie Perri. citing her passion "about equality for all ...because marriage equality is about love, family and fairness" in a
Facebook post linking to the article. In May 2018, during a radio discussion of
Newstart unemployment allowance, she was called "out of touch" after she said she could live on $40 a day leading to calls for her to be challenged to do so.
Departure from Liberal Party In August 2018, following the
Liberal Party leadership crisis that saw
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull replaced by
Scott Morrison, Banks announced that she would not contest the seat of Chisholm at the
next federal election. She described the ousting of Turnbull from the Prime Ministership as the "last straw" and cited a "cultural and gender bias, bullying and intimidation" of women in politics. and was supported by
Minister for Women Kelly O'Dwyer (the member for the neighbouring electorate of
Higgins Incoming Prime Minister
Scott Morrison and his deputy
Josh Frydenberg reportedly attempted to persuade Banks not to quit, but Banks was adamant that she would not remain after the "vindictive" behaviour and "internal political games [of] factional party figures, self-proclaimed power-brokers and certain media personalities." and thanked her for not quitting parliament immediately, so that there will not be need for a
by-election for her marginal seat.
Craig Kelly, who was among the first to call for the spill in support of unsuccessful challenger
Peter Dutton, criticised Banks' decision in a
Sky News interview and defended politics as a "rough-and-tumble game." He went on to state that the anti-Turnbull plotters employed "a strategy of bullying and intimidation" and have been "eventually proved to have an incompetence to match their brutality [and are] a disaster for the parliamentary party." Banks slammed the Liberal Party for allegedly shifting too far to the
right of the political spectrum, arguing the party had "changed largely due to the actions of the reactionary and regressive right wing who talk about and to themselves rather than listening to the people." Banks also stated that she would provide
confidence and supply to the government if necessary; and also said that her previously-announced retirement from politics at the forthcoming general election was not a final decision. In July 2021 her memoir, ''Power Play: Breaking Through Bias, Barriers and Boys' Clubs
, was published by Hardie Grant and reviewed for The Sydney Morning Herald'' by
Jenna Price. In October 2021 Banks was named as an advisor for climate fund,
Climate 200. ==References==