Andrew Hastie | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hastie in 2023 | |
| Assistant Minister for Defence | |
| In office 22 December 2020 – 23 May 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Scott Morrison |
| Preceded by | Alex Hawke |
| Succeeded by | Matt Thistlethwaite |
| Chair of theParliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security | |
| In office 15 February 2017 – 22 December 2020 | |
| Deputy | Anthony Byrne |
| Preceded by | Michael Sukkar |
| Succeeded by | James Paterson |
| Member of theAustralian Parliament forCanning | |
| Assumed office 19 September 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Don Randall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Andrew William Hastie (1982-09-30)30 September 1982 (age 43) Wangaratta,Victoria, Australia |
| Party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Ruth Hastie |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | The Scots College University of New South Wales Australian Defence Force Academy (BA) Royal Military College, Duntroon |
| Website | andrewhastie |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Australia |
| Branch/service | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 2001–2015 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | |
| Battles/wars | |
Andrew William Hastie (born 30 September 1982) is an Australian politician and former military officer. A member of theLiberal Party, he has served as themember of parliament (MP) for theWestern Australian division ofCanning since 2015. Hastie was a troop commander in theSpecial Air Service Regiment (SASR) prior to entering politics.
Hastie served as theAssistant Minister for Defence from 2020 to 2022, during theMorrison government. Following the2022 election, he served as Shadow Minister Defence Industry and Shadow Minister Defence Personnel in theDutton shadow ministry. He wasChair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security from 2017 to 2020.
Hastie was appointedShadow Minister forHome Affairs in May 2025. He left the role in October 2025 after he exited theparty's frontbench over internal policy disputes. His views have been described asright-wing populist andfar-right, with strong stances againstmulticulturalism,immigration,abortion,LGBTQ rights, and thenet-zero emissions in Australia.
Hastie's mother, Sue, was a primary school teacher for special needs children. His maternal grandmother Rose was a nurse and cared for Hastie's maternal grandfather Reginald, a war veteran.[1] His father Peter was a church pastor inWangaratta, Victoria; and later in the inner Sydney suburb ofAshfield, where he helped launch Australia's first Mandarin-speaking Presbyterian church.[2]
When the family moved to the inner west of Sydney, Hastie began his primary education at Ashbury Public School.[3] Fromyear 5 he attendedThe Scots College[4] inSydney, completing hisHigher School Certificate in 2000. Intending to become a journalist, Hastie began aBachelor of Arts in History, Politics and Philosophy at the Kensington Campus ofUniversity of New South Wales in 2001, and also joined theUniversity of New South Wales Regiment as a part-time reservist.[3]
Hastie completed his second year at the Kensington Campus in 2002 before transferring to theAustralian Defence Force Academy in Canberra in 2003.[3][5] He finished his bachelor's degree in 2004, then his honours year in 2005, where his final thesis examinedCharles Bean's official history of Australia in World War I.[6] Hastie went on to officer training atRoyal Military College, Duntroon in 2006,[7] where he met his political mentorJohn Anderson.[8] In 2007, Hastie completed theGeorge Washington UniversityElliott School of International Affairs U.S. Foreign Policy Summer Program inWashington, D.C.[3] Hastie has also completed a Graduate Certificate in Business Economics throughHarvard Extension School.[7][9]
Hastie began his military career as an officer cadet in 2001. His officer training was completed at Duntroon in 2006, and he was commissioned as a lieutenant from December.[10] He was posted in 2007 with the2nd Cavalry Regiment (Australia) of theRoyal Australian Armoured Corps, based inPalmerston, Northern Territory. Hastie commanded a cavalry troop in 2008, before it was deployed in Afghanistan the following year.[11] Hastie was deployed to Afghanistan withMentoring and Reconstruction Task Force Two where he commanded a troop ofAustralian Light Armoured Vehicles.[12][13] The troop's armoured operations began at the start of the fighting season in May 2009, concluding in February 2010.[14]
In 2010 Hastie moved to Perth to prepare for the SAS Selection course. He began the course in July 2010 and was one of 30 who completed it out of 130 soldiers. The selection course was followed by a 18-month Reinforcement Cycle, during which a further 15 soldiers dropped out.[5] In May 2012, he was deployed toPort Moresby to support thePapua New Guinea Defence Force during ageneral election.[3][6]
From February to July 2013, Hastie served in Afghanistan as a Troop Captain withSpecial Operations Task Group Rotation XIX, working primarily with Afghan partner forces to target theTaliban.[15] During a battle in Zabul, some members of Hastie's SASR troop severed the hands of deceased Taliban soldiers[16] He observed a severed hand and asked what was happening. Hastie afterwards ordered his unit to cease the practice, and the incident was reported to his commanding officer.[17] During a later inquiry, a corporal gave evidence that they had severed the hands of their own accord as they didn't have time to retrieve biometric material and they needed to get back to their helicopters to leave. The inquiry found that Australian troops in Afghanistan had not been explicitly instructed whether the collection of body parts for biometric testing was acceptable.[17]
Hastie was deployed in 2014 and 2015 to the Middle East for an intelligence role, serving as an Operations Officer forOperation Gallant Phoenix.[3][18][19] He resigned from theAustralian Defence Force in August 2015 after announcing his candidacy for the2015 Canning by-election.[20]
The seat of Canning became vacant by the death in office of the Liberal member,Don Randall, triggering the 2015 Canning by-election. Having won the Liberal Party pre-selection,[21] Hastie campaigned with support fromMathias Cormann andJulie Bishop. During the campaign, he met with media criticism about his family's religious beliefs.[22]
Hastie won 55.26% of votes under thetwo-party-preferred system, defeating Labor candidateMatt Keogh. He joined the government ofMalcolm Turnbull who had himself becomePrime Minister of Australia a week before the by-election. Hastie gave his first speech on 13 October 2015.[23] Hastie stood again for the division of Canning for the2016 Australian federal election, winning 56.79% of the votes under theTwo-party-preferred vote against Labor opposition candidate Barry Winmar, moving his seat from being "marginal" to "fairly safe" according to theAustralian Electoral Commission.[24] In September 2016 Hastie was appointed to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. He held the position of Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security from 2017 to 2020.[7]
During theAugust 2018 Liberal Party leadership spills, Hastie publicly supported a change in the party's leadership.[25]Scott Morrison was subsequently elected leader of the Liberal Party, becoming Prime Minister of Australia. Hastie supported the strikingAlcoa Australia workers in his electorate. He said he backed the strikers because "energy production in Australia is too expensive and it is hurting industry, workers, seniors and families."[26]
At the2019 Australian federal election, Hastie ran for re‑election and secured 61.55% of the two‑party‑preferred vote against the Australian Labor Party's Mellisa Teede. According to OpenAustralia, Hastie participated in 45 parliamentary debates in 2019—above the parliamentary average—with most contributions relating to national security matters.[27]
Hastie opposed dredging and the development of theMandurah Estuary for a proposed 300‑berth marina, stating "We're up against a business taking direction from overseas without any long term interests in the safety, the security and the health of our local environment. The central question is whether or not local people have a say over the natural assets we are called to steward for future generations."[28] He supported a $22 million foreshore development project, which received $7 million in federal funding, to deliver a new civic square, convention centre, large‑scale adventure play area and an ecotourism hub.[29]
On 22 December 2020, Hastie was appointed Assistant Minister for Defence.[7][30]
The Liberal Party were defeated by the Labor Party in the2022 federal election, relegating the party to opposition status. Hastie managed to retain his seat of Canning, winning 43.8% of first-preference votes and 53.59% of the two-party-preferred vote against Labor's Amanda Hunt. Hastie, however, saw a 7.79% swing against him at the election, making Canning marginal.[31][32] Hastie served as the Shadow Minister Defence Industry and Shadow Minister Defence Personnel while the Liberals were in the opposition.[7]
Hastie said that prior to the2025 Australian federal election polling in his seat which showed that Liberal party leader Peter Dutton "was leading Anthony Albanese in personal favourability, but there was a catch: only one in four voters knew who Peter Dutton was, and that he was vulnerable to Labor defining him". He further said that during the campaign, Labor used social media to make "savage personal attacks" against Dutton, despite a previous promise to be more respectful in politics. Writing forWAtoday, Hamish Hastie[a] wrote that "In the face of Dutton's issues and an increasingly bad campaign, Hastie jettisoned mentions of nuclear power, the Liberal leader – and the Liberal Party itself – from much of his campaigning". He also made the decision to remove much of the Liberal branding from his shirts and billboards. Hastie was absent for much of the national campaign, remaining active in Canning. After the campaign he said "I focused on what mattered in a bad national campaign: my local community".[34]
Hastie managed to avoid the national swing against the Liberals despiteredistribution reducing his lead in Canning. He won 42.52% of first-preference votes and 56.55% of two-party preferred votes, a 5.35% swing against Labor's Jarrad Goold.[35][36] The election saw heavy losses for the Liberals in metropolitan Australia; Hastie was one of the few Liberals in a metropolitan seat to record a swing in his favour, and the only Liberal from a Perth-based seat. On 9 May, Hastie gave an interview talking about the 2025 election, where he criticised the Liberal campaign and the party's reliance on ex-staffers, as well as the issue of Peter Dutton. Hastie attributed his success in Canning to avoiding discussing topics related to Dutton and nuclear energy, saying he "focused on what mattered in a bad national campaign: my local community."[34]
On 28 May 2025, Hastie was appointed Shadow Minister for Home Affairs in the Ley shadow ministry.[7] He resigned from the frontbench on 3 October 2025, bringing his tenure in the portfolio to an end. His resignation followed a letter from Ley which, he said, "made it clear that [he] would not be involved in leading or developing our policy or strategy on immigration". Hastie stated that he "could not see how I could continue as the Shadow Home Affairs Minister and remain silent on immigration policy".[37]
Hastie is a member of theNational Right faction of the Liberal Party.[38][39][40][41] His views have been described as right-wing populist and far-right,[42][43][44][45] with strong stances against multiculturalism,[43][46] immigration,[43][47] late-term abortions,[48][49] and the transition to net zero emissions in Australia.[50][38] Hastie is a member of theAtlantic Council, an international foreign policy think tank connected to conservative politiciansMike Gallagher from the United States andTom Tugendhat from the United Kingdom.[51][52] He has cited his Christian faith as informing his views on various policies, such as individual freedoms.[53]
Hastie believes that "freely formed associations are the basis of Australian society and are the fullest expression of self-government".[54] Hastie has expressed concern about the freedom of Australian universities and media institutions.[55] In May 2018, underparliamentary privilege, Hastie alleged that political donorChau Chak Wing was an unindicted co-conspirator in an FBI bribery case involving former president of the UN general assembly,John Ashe, a move that was viewed as likely to further inflame the already strained relations between Australia and China,[56] but which Hastie saw as "his duty."[57] An ABC analyst wrote that Hastie acted "because he has become sincerely worried about the influence of China on Australian institutions and politics."[19]
Hastie's 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 withLabor senatorKimberley Kitching.[58] In August 2019, he wrote an opinion article, "We Must See China with Clear Eyes" forThe Sydney Morning Herald andThe Age newspapers, where he stated that "Communist China", rather thanIslamic terrorism, would be the real security concern of the 21st century. The piece was criticised by theChinese Embassy in Australia, who denounced the remarks as reflecting a "Cold War mentality",[2][59] while Western Australian PremierMark McGowan accused Hastie of "threatening WA jobs with extreme and inflammatory language."[60] Conversely, Hastie received praise from fellow Liberal MPsDave Sharma andPeter Dutton, and ProfessorClive Hamilton.[58][61][62] The embassy disinvited him on a planned study trip with several colleagues to China with the China Matters think tank, stating: "We strongly deplore the Australian federal MP Andrew Hastie's rhetoric on 'China threat' which lays bare his Cold-War mentality and ideological bias. We urge certain Australian politicians to take off their 'colored lens' and view China's development path in an objective and rational way. They should make efforts to promote mutual trust between China and Australia, instead of doing the opposite."[63]
In November 2019,Wang Liqiang, a self-proclaimed former Chinese intelligence operative who defected to Australia, drew public support from Hastie, then chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. Hastie referred to Wang as a "friend of democracy" and argued that "anyone who is willing to assist us in defending our sovereignty deserves our protection". He urged the Australian government to grant Wang protection, framing Wang's disclosures about Chinese interference as being in Australia's national interest.[64][65]
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".[66][67][68] He was one of a number of backbenchers who pushed for added restrictions on foreign investment of Australian companies.[69] Hastie argued that such purchases are part of widerpolitical warfare conducted by the Chinese Communist Party.[55][70]
On 4 June 2020, the 31st anniversary of theTiananmen Square Massacre, Hastie joined a group of nineteen other politicians from eight countries and the European Parliament to form theInter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. He was a strong supporter of theTurnbull government's decision to preventHuawei from providing5G services in Australia.[71]
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 protectCarnaby's black cockatoo, a native bird endemic toSouthwest Australia and currently listed as endangered due to loss of habitat.[28][72]
Hastie has been a vocal critic of Australia's net-zero emissions policy. He argues that the 2050 net-zero target is being made in "the name of climate alarmism".[50][73] Hastie has publicly opposed theParis Agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and theNational Energy Guarantee (NEG). 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.[74] In September 2025, following the release of Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment, which highlighted severe and far-reaching social and economic consequences ofclimate change, Hastie threatened to resign from the Coalition frontbench if the Liberal Party commits to the net-zero emissions target.[73]
In 2018, Hastie supported calls forwhite South African farmers to be resettled in Australia.[75][76] Hastie then headlined at a rally in 2019, along with fellow Liberal MPIan Goodenough, in support of the farmers.[77] Hastie has made frequent comments regarding migration to Australia, including some that have been interpreted as critical of former Liberal Party leaderSussan Ley[78] and her leadership. In 2025, he used the phrase "strangers in our own country", popularised by British politician Enoch Powell's in a 1968 speech, as part of a claim that migration has been responsible for increasing housing prices and a declining quality of life in Australia.[79]
Hastie campaigned againstsame-sex marriage, abstaining from the 2017 parliamentary vote to legalise marriage of same-sex couples (he publicly stated he would vote with his constituents and then later refused to vote on religious grounds).[80][81][82][83]
Hastie met his wife Ruth while he was undertaking a short course at George Washington University.[84] He subsequently proposed to her on the steps of theSydney Opera House. The two were married in 2008 atCapitol Hill Baptist Church. Their children were born in Perth in June 2015, August 2017 and November 2021. The family of five now lives in Mandurah in thePeel region ofWestern Australia.[85][86]
Hastie was described by Labor MPBrian Mitchell as "a man of deep faith".[87] After rejecting religion in adolescence, he has been part of reformed and evangelical churches including Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, St Matthew's Anglican Church in Shenton Park, Crossroads Church in Canberra (a congregation of theFellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches), and MandurahPresbyterian Church in Mandurah.[88]
Prime Minister:Scott Morrison | ||
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