Andrew Hastie (politician)

Andrew William Hastie (born 30 September 1982) is the Liberal Party member for the Western Australian federal seat of Canning since the 2015 by-election. Hastie is a former Australian Army officer.^[1][2][3]

Early years

Hastie was born in Wangaratta, Victoria. His father, Peter Hastie, is a minister who had established the Wangaratta Presbyterian Church,^[4] and is now principal of the Presbyterian Theological College in Box Hill, Victoria.^[5] His family later relocated to Sydney, where Hastie attended Scots College.^[6] Both Hastie's father and paternal grandfather were raised in the Sydney suburb of Vaucluse and were educated at Sydney Grammar School.^[7]Hastie's grandparents played a significant role in his teenage years, and he cites his grandfather's service during the Second World War as a motivating factor for joining the Australian Army.^[8] Prior to enlisting Hastie studied philosophy, politics and history at the University of New South Wales.^[9]

Military career

Hastie enlisted in the Australian Army following the September 11 attacks. He cites anti-American sentiment in a university tutorial the day after the attacks as providing the moment he decided to join the military.^[9] Hastie completed his degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy followed by officer training at Royal Military College, Duntroon. Hastie then completed Armoured Corps Officer training at Pukapunyal before being posted to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, then at Robertson Barracks, Darwin. Hastie deployed to Afghanistan as troop commander with Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force 2 in 2009–2010, commanding a troop of Australian Light Armoured Vehicles on patrols in Uruzgan province.^[10]

Hastie completed selection for the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) in 2010 and was posted to 1 SAS Squadron in 2012 following completion of his reinforcement training. He deployed with the Australian Special Operations Task Group Rotation XIX in 2013, commanding B Troop who were fighting Taliban in southern Afghanistan. Hastie deployed in late-2014 and 2015 to a Middle East-based role countering ISIL.^[11] He resigned his commission in August 2015 after announcing his candidature.^[12] He later became a member of the Army Reserve.^[13]

Political career

The seat of Canning was rendered vacant by the death in office of the Liberal member, Don Randall, triggering the 2015 Canning by-election. During Hastie's campaign, Tony Abbott was replaced as prime minister by Malcolm Turnbull following a leadership spill.^[14] Though the Turnbull government was just four days old, Hastie retained the seat for the Liberals, despite having to rely on preferences after a substantial, though dampened, primary (−4.15%) and two-party (−6.55%) swing away from the Liberal government − solidly less than the double-digit swings polls had predicted under an Abbott Government − however, some double-digit swings did eventuate among the northern suburban booths. The Canning Liberal margin was reduced from safe to marginal status. Political analysts agreed the by-election was a "good outcome for both major parties".^[15]

Two controversies emerged during Hastie's campaign. In response to the media highlighting incidents in Afghanistan in 2013. Hastie defended the actions of soldiers under his command, saying they had acted with "honour and integrity".^[16]

On 28 February 2013 Hastie and other SAS soldiers were in heavy contact with Taliban in Shahidi Hassas District during an operation to extract an Afghan National Police patrol under threat from insurgents. During the engagement SAS soldiers were in contact with an American Apache gunship which strafed an insurgent fighting position. The cannon fire accidentally killed two nomad boys who had been tending livestock nearby.^[17][18] An ADF inquiry cleared Hastie and the other Australians of any wrongdoing; however, Hastie said that the boys' deaths were a very sad and tragic consequence of war, and that 'it's an incident that I know all involved hold deep regret, including myself'.^[17][19]

On 28 April 2013 Australian forces were involved in an operation in Zabul province which saw the right hands of three insurgents severed following an engagement.^[20][21] The incident involved the troop Hastie commanded, although he was not present at the time. A SAS corporal remains under investigation with Defence referring the matter to the Australian Federal Police in August 2015.^[22][23] Hastie was cleared of any wrongdoing by an Inquiry Officer's Inquiry, but the incident was brought to public attention in a front page story in The Age. Several state Labor MPs made crude jokes about the incident via tweets.^[24][25][26] The behaviour of state shadow parliamentary secretary Darren West and state shadow environment spokesman Chris Tallentire was later condemned by federal opposition leader Bill Shorten.^[27][28][29]

During an address to the Liberal Party on 22 August 2015 Hastie said that soldiers under his command had acted with "honour and integrity" and strongly criticised Defence's handling of the incident, claiming that Defence has breached its duty of care to the soldier involved by taking nearly two and a half years to investigate the matter. The ADF has not commented on the investigation or Hastie's comments.^[30]

Hastie's advertising materials for the Canning by-election and the 2016 election campaign included an image of Hastie in his army uniform, a breach of a general ban on participating in political activity in uniform, leading to Hastie being dismissed from the Army Reserves.^[13]

Hastie was re-elected at the 2016 Federal Election with a 5.12% swing against the Liberal Party compared to the 2013 Canning result but a 0.97% swing to him compared to the by-election result, ten months prior.

Personal life

Hastie moved to Dudley Park, Western Australia within the Canning electorate in August 2015; prior to this time he lived in Defence housing in Perth.^[31] He has been married to Ruth for seven years; they met when Hastie visited the US.^[32] Their son was born in June 2015.^[33]

Hastie was raised a Presbyterian, and is now an Anglican.^[34]

Honours and awards

	Australian Active Service Medal	with clasp for ICAT
	Afghanistan Medal	Operation SLIPPER
	Australian Service Medal	with clasp for CT/SR (Counter Terrorism / Special Recovery)[35]
	Australian Defence Medal
	NATO Medal for the Non-Article 5 ISAF Operation in Afghanistan	with ISAF clasp
	Meritorious Unit Citation with Federation Star	Special Operations Task Group (Task Force 66)[36]
	Infantry Combat Badge
	Army Combat Badge

References

External links

• Parliamentary biography