Andrew Hastie

Andrew William Hastie (born 30 September 1982) is an Australian politician, and a former military officer, serving as the Shadow Minister for Defence since 2022. Representing the people of Canning, a semi-urban region on the south coast of Western Australia, he is a senior member of the Liberal Party. He has served in federal government as the Assistant Minister for Defence, from 2020 to 2022. Hastie was Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security from 2017 to 2020, rejoining the committee in 2022. Prior to politics, he was a troop commander in the Special Air Service Regiment.

Early life and education
Hastie was born in Wangaratta to Sue, a primary school teacher for children with special needs, and Peter, who had started a church in that country town. At age 5, he and his family moved to Sydney when his father became the pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Ashfield, as it launched its first Chinese-speaking congregation. He began his Primary education at Ashbury Public School. From year 5 he attended The Scots College in Sydney, completing his Higher School Certificate in 2000.

Intending to become a journalist, Hastie began a Bachelor of Arts in History, Politics and Philosophy at the Kensington Campus of University of New South Wales in 2001.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks, which killed the daughter of his primary school teacher, prompted Hastie to change plans. He completed his second year at the Kensington Campus, then transferred to UNSW Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra the following year, finishing his bachelor's degree in 2004. He took an honours year in 2005; where his final thesis examined Charles Bean's official history of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Hastie moved on to officer training at Royal Military College, Duntroon in 2006, where he would meet his future mentors John Anderson and Rear-Admiral James Goldrick.

In 2007, Hastie completed the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs U.S. Foreign Policy Summer Program in Washington, D.C. He later earned a Graduate Certificate in Business Economics from Harvard Extension School, in 2024.

Military career
Hastie began his military service as a reservist in the University of New South Wales Regiment in 2001. He received his commission as a lieutenant after graduating from Duntroon, in December 2006.

His first posting was to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, based in Palmerston, Northern Territory in 2007. Hastie took command of a troop of Australian Light Armoured Vehicles in 2008. He then led the troop on operations in Afghanistan as part of Mentoring Task Force Two, at the start of the fighting season in May 2009, concluding in February 2010.

Special Air Service Regiment
On returning to Australia, Hastie moved to Perth to prepare for the "brutal" Selection course for the Special Air Service Regiment, which ran between July and August 2010. Of the 130 soldiers who began the course, Hastie was one of 30 who completed it. After a further 16-month Reinforcement Cycle, he was formally accepted into the Regiment, being assigned to 1 Squadron, SASR. He first deployed with the unit in May 2012 to Port Moresby, supporting the Papua New Guinea Defence Force for that nation's general election.

Now a Captain in special forces, Hastie returned to Afghanistan a second and third time. In October 2012 he observed Australian operations in Syachow in Uruzgan Province. Then, from February to July 2013, he deployed to Afghanistan as a troop commander with Special Operations Task Group Rotation XIX, largely targeting Taliban forces in partnership with other Afghan forces.

On this third deployment, Hastie had command of Special Forces during a battle in Zabul; and it was here a member of the troop severed the hands of deceased Taliban soldiers, ostensibly to conduct biometric testing. Regardless, Hastie ordered this to cease, and the incident was reported to ADF command. An inquiry later found troops were trained in biometrics to identify combatants, which included the collection of body parts, though there was no explicit instruction to do so. At the conclusion of the inquiry, both soldier and troop commander were cleared of wrongdoing.

Following the Fall of Mosul in Iraq, Hastie was deployed to the Middle East. Hastie was made an Operations Officer with Operation Gallant Phoenix based in Jordan, carrying out intelligence operations against ISIL.

He resigned from the ADF in August 2015, so as to announce his candidacy for the 2015 Canning by-election.

Political career (2015–present)
Hastie was first elected to Parliament in 2015. He has since been re-elected in the 2016, 2019 and 2022 federal elections.

Turnbull government
Following the death of local MP Don Randall, the seat of Canning became vacant, which triggered the 2015 Canning by-election. After winning the pre-selection contest for the Liberal Party, Hastie launched his campaign, with support from Mathias Cormann and Julie Bishop, but was met with media criticism about the "severed hands" incident and his family's religious beliefs.

On election day, Hastie won 55.26% of votes under the two-party-preferred system, defeating Labor candidate Matt Keogh, becoming the 10th Federal Member for Canning. He joined the government benches of Malcolm Turnbull who, coincidentally, had become Prime Minister of Australia in the week of the by-election.

Four weeks after the election, Hastie entered Parliament, and gave his first speech on 13 October 2015. He argued for a more realistic view of the military's ability to bring democracy to other nations, having "seen the best and worst of human nature in conflict." Similarly, he pleaded for efforts to restore trust in public institutions, especially Parliament. Hastie stood again for the division of Canning for the 2016 Australian federal election, winning 56.79% of the votes under the Two-party-preferred vote against Labor opposition candidate Barry Winmar, moving his seat from being "marginal" to "fairly safe" according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

In September 2016 Hastie was appointed to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, serving as its Chair from February 2017 to April 2019. In local matters, he began a long campaign to build Lakelands railway station (eventually completed in 2023) and the construction of the Peel Health Hub (opened in 2018).

Morrison government
During the August 2018 Liberal Party leadership spills, Hastie supported a change of party leader. While he backed Peter Dutton's candidacy, Scott Morrison won the spill, becoming Prime Minister of Australia.

In his community, Hastie unexpectedly supported striking Alcoa Australia workers, organised by the Australian Workers' Union, saying that carbon regulations create pressures on the energy sector that are "hurting industry, workers, seniors and families." He opposed dredging the Mandurah Estuary for a 300-berth marina citing environmental and geo-strategic concerns. However, he strongly supported the $22 million foreshore development project, allocating $7 million in federal funds.

In the 2019 Australian federal election, held on 18 May, Hastie ran for re-election and won 61.55% of the two-party-preferred vote against the Australian Labor Party's candidate Mellisa Teede.

Assistant Minister for Defence
During this Parliament, Hastie spoke in 45 debates, above average according to Open Australia, mostly on matters of national security.

On 22 December 2020, Hastie was named Assistant Defence Minister. In this role he became an advocate for AUKUS and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, strongly criticising the views of Paul Keating for being "counter to our national interests." As the United States decided to withdraw its military presence from Afghanistan, Hastie lobbied his own government to offer visas and protect “those people who have helped the Australian government do its work there."

Hastie supported welfare of service personnel, opening new defence healthcare facilities in Canberra and Perth. He raised awareness on cyber attacks on Australia, the work of the Australian Signals Directorate, and the importance of combat simulation systems. During this time he put Cape-class patrol boats into service for the Royal Australian Navy, and with them Guardian-class patrol boats for partner forces in Micronesia.

Witness for Australian newspapers
While holding his defence portfolio, Hastie was called as a witness for newspapers accused of defaming Ben Roberts-Smith as "a war criminal." Though in different squadrons, the soldiers had crossed paths: in 2010 when Hastie was on SASR selection and Roberts-Smith was a trainer, then in 2012 in Syahchow, Uruzgan Province.

It was here, according to The Age, The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald, Roberts-Smith instigated a "blooding." In this illegal practice, a new soldier is initiated by a more experienced soldier, when they register a kill in a battle, and this may be of an unarmed prisoner. Under oath, Hastie stated that he believed an Australian soldier, known as person 66, who was under the command of Roberts-Smith, had been blooded. Under cross-examination, Hastie was accused of being motivated by "hate" for Roberts-Smith. Hastie responded: "I pity him... this is terrible for our country. It's terrible for the SAS. It's terrible for the army. But until we deal with it, we can't move forward."

The Australian Federal Court delivered its verdict on 1 June 2023, finding the newspapers and its journalists, Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie, had established defences of substantial or contextual truth over the alleged unlawful killings. In an interview recorded with the ABC, McKenzie assessed the role Hastie played, both in the court case, and the wider matter of investigating war crimes: "...there are politicians who have not stood up, wanted to play the populist game, and wanted to cover this stuff up, because it was politically opportune for them to do that. Opposed to them are people like Andrew Hastie, the Coalition Spokesman on Defence, a former Captain of the SAS, who deployed to Afghanistan then became a politician: and he stood up and he said...'If bad things have happened. They should be exposed. No matter how ugly it is.' So we can be proud of men like Andrew Hastie for doing that."

Shadow Ministry
In the 2022 Australian federal election, Hastie saw a large swing of 10.6% against Coalition candidates in Western Australia, though he was able to retain his seat with 54.8 per cent in the two-party preferred contest.

In Opposition for the first time, Hastie was chosen by Liberal Party leader, Peter Dutton, to serve as Shadow Minister for Defence. He was also nominated to re-join the Parliamentary Joint Committee for Intelligence and Security.

Early in the role, Hastie travelled to both the UK and the USA to urge governments and defence industry to speed up the delivery of Nuclear-powered submarines under the 2021 AUKUS security pact. Further, Hastie advocated for the Albanese government to ramp up the military's lethal force by "all necessary means" so as to ensure peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

He maintained a hawkish position towards China through active involvement with IPAC along with Liberal Senator James Paterson and Labor Senator Deborah O'Neill. He supported the actions of the Albanese government to ensure retired Royal Australian Air Force pilots are prevented from sharing tactics, techniques and procedures with China. According to official documents, Hastie participated in Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship, meeting with senior Cabinet members in January 2023.

While Hastie maintained strong support for Minister Richard Marles and Penny Wong in their advocacy for AUKUS, he "slammed" the Albanese government's Defence Strategic Review of April 2023. He argued that, despite the government's admitting to China's military build up, and the need for an increase in Australia's defence spending, the new plan effectively cut the army's capability, without growing the overall investment in the ADF. Hastie was particularly critical of reducing plans for Australia's Infantry fighting vehicle from 450 to 129, such that "our troops will have less protection in close combat."

Hastie opposed the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum.

Political views
Hastie's political views have been described as both "conservative" and "complex." In a discreetly recorded meeting, he was heard to argue for a return to the original principles found in the "We Believe" statement of Robert Menzies, when the party was formed during World War II. He is opposed to discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, sex and sexuality, and was a strong supporter of an Australian Magnitsky Act, enabling sanctions against global figures who commit human rights abuses. At the same time, he has campaigned for a traditional understanding of marriage, and in the Australian marriage debate he ultimately abstained from the parliamentary vote. However, since 2023 he has distanced himself from libertarian beliefs, stating that "Government is not the problem. Bad government is the problem.” By 2023, his economic outlook was contrasted those of "small l" liberals, such as Joe Hockey. Instead, he supports "strategic protectionism."

Some have placed Hastie with the National Right grouping of the Liberal Party. He has been part of groups connected to conservative politicians Mike Gallagher from the United States and Tom Tugendhat from the United Kingdom. Likewise, Hastie was a founding member of the organising council for Alliance for Responsible Citizenship, which included Red Tories such as Danny Kruger. Hastie has cited his Christian faith as informing his views on various policies, such as individual freedoms.

Free institutions and free press
Hastie believes that "freely formed associations are the basis of Australian society and are the fullest expression of self-government." Hastie has expressed concern about the freedom of Australian universities and media institutions.

In May 2018, Hastie used parliamentary privilege to claim Chinese Australian businessman Chau Chak Wing was an unindicted co-conspirator in a Federal Bureau of Investigation bribery case involving former president of the UN general assembly, John Ashe, which Hastie saw as "his duty." An ABC reporter noted that Chau Chak Wing was, at that time, in court proceedings against Nine media for defamation. The report quoted Hastie saying he acted "because he has become sincerely worried about the influence of China on Australian institutions and politics."

China
Hastie is well-known for his hawkish stance against the rising influence of the People's Republic of China. In 2020, he was identified as a key member of a group of parliamentarians known as "the Wolverines", along with backbencher MPs Tim Wilson and Phillip Thompson as well as senators James Paterson, Raff Ciccone and Kimberley Kitching. Concern for Australian sovereignty prompted a column from Hastie which caused a "firestorm" in Sino-Australian relations. The article, "We Must See China with Clear Eyes" appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers in August 2019, stated that China, rather than Islamic terrorism, would be the real security concern of the 21st century. The piece was criticised by the Chinese Embassy in Australia, who denounced the remarks as reflecting a "Cold War mentality", while Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan accused Hastie of "threatening WA jobs with extreme and inflammatory language." Conversely, Hastie received praise from fellow Liberal MPs Dave Sharma and Peter Dutton, and Professor Clive Hamilton. The embassy disinvited him on a planned study trip with several colleagues to China with the China Matters think tank, stating “that at this time Mr Hastie and Senator Paterson are not welcome" unless they "genuinely repent and redress their mistakes."

In May 2020, Hastie was one of 20 Australian politicians to sign a letter condemning the "comprehensive assault on Hong Kong's autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms", in response to a "new legal framework and enforcement mechanism".

Hastie was one of a number of backbenchers who pushed for added restrictions on foreign investment of Australian companies. He was a strong supporter of the Turnbull Government's decision to prevent Huawei from providing 5G services in Australia. He argued that such purchases are part of wider political warfare conducted by the Chinese Communist Party. His concerns regarding Australia maintaining its sovereignty in the face of China's rising power in the region led him to form the Parliamentary Friends of Democracy with Labor senator Kimberley Kitching. On 4 June 2020, the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Hastie joined a group of nineteen other politicians from eight countries and the European Parliament to form the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, including Kitching.

Community and environment
Arguing in favour of "the sovereignty of local communities to make decisions about how they conserve and develop their environment", Hastie opposed the dredging of The Point Grey Marina but supported the investment of $3 million by the Environment Restoration Fund to protect Carnaby's black cockatoo, a native bird endemic to Southwest Australia and currently listed as endangered due to loss of habitat. Hastie has publicly opposed the Paris Agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the National Energy Guarantee, especially as it would negatively affect workers in the aluminium industry. He made it clear in August 2018 that he did not support the NEG as it existed at the time. He cited issues including unclear assurances of energy affordability and energy related risks to national security as his reasons for opposing the policies.

Personal life
Hastie met his wife Ruth in the summer of 2007 while he was studying at George Washington University. Their first date was "watching then-president George W. Bush walk from the Oval Office across the lawns of the White House to be whisked away in the Marine One helicopter." Some months later, Hastie proposed to Ruth on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. The two were married in 2008 at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Their children were born in Perth in June 2015, August 2017 and November 2021. The family of five now lives in the City of Mandurah in the Peel region of Western Australia.

A self-described student of history, Hastie has strongly encourages historical understanding to solve contemporary issues. He lists "biographies, Shakespeare, psalms" among his interests. In 2016, he launched the Canning Shakespeare Festival, encouraging high school students to know and perform the playwright's works.

Hastie has been recognised as "a man of deep faith". After rejecting religion in adolescence, he has been part of Reformed and evangelical churches, including Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C., Shenton Park Anglican Church, Crossroads Church in Canberra (a congregation of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches), and Peel Presbyterian Church in Mandurah.

Published works

 * "We must see China - the opportunities and the threats - with clear eyes" Sydney Morning Herald (2019)
 * "SAS must put honour before glory" The Australian (2020)

Honours and awards