The Defence Department continues to voice concerns about the use of military uniforms by veterans in campaign materials, urging them to cease the practice. Despite the department’s repeated requests, candidates from the Liberal party, ranging from rookie politicians to the shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie, have been featuring images of themselves in military gear, including scenes of them jumping from planes, serving in combat zones, and participating in training exercises.
The Liberal candidate for the Victorian seat of Corangamite, Darcy Dunstan, introduced himself in campaign videos as a former SAS soldier, showcasing images of his service in uniform, complete with the SAS beret. A social media video also captured Dunstan in conversation with shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie, again displaying images of Dunstan in fatigues during physical training. Hastie, who lost his position in the army reserve in 2016 for similar campaign practices, stated he prioritizes the people of his constituency over military directives.
Despite the Defence Department’s stance on maintaining an apolitical military and ensuring no perception of political endorsement, candidates continue to highlight their military service to garner votes. The Liberal candidate for Leichhardt, Jeremy Neal, used campaign pamphlets with images of himself in military fatigues holding a rifle, although his official bio does not mention any military service.
While there is no suggestion that the candidates have violated any rules, Defence acknowledges the contributions of former personnel. Nonetheless, the department can only politely request candidates to refrain from using military-related imagery, as there are limited further actions they can take if the candidates are no longer in the military and are not infringing on copyrighted defence materials.
Although no examples were found of Labor candidates using military uniforms in the current campaign, there have been historical instances. For example, in 2016, then Labor candidate Mike Kelly resigned from the army reserves after being instructed to cease using photos of himself in uniform in campaign material, a decision he expressed deep regret over. Another Labor member, Luke Gosling, was also told to stop using images of himself in uniform on campaign materials in 2022, having done so in previous election campaigns.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/apr/24/military-uniforms-election-campaign-materials-ntwnfb
