The defence department remains concerned about veterans using images of themselves in military uniform on official campaign material and has issued another “respectful request” for them to stop doing so.
Liberal veterans ranging from first-time candidates to the shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie have used images of themselves in military fatigues jumping from planes, serving on tour and holding rifles during training drills.
Defence’s long-held opposition to military uniforms being used in campaign ads is based on a commitment to ensure the military remains an apolitical organisation and that there is no perception it endorses any political candidate.
“Defence respectfully requests those standing for political office to refrain from using imagery of themselves in uniform or imagery of ADF personnel as part of any campaign material,” a defence spokesperson said.
But so far, defence’s requests, now issued over several campaigns, have been ignored by candidates who are eager to emphasise their military service to win votes.
The Liberal candidate for the Victorian seat of Corangamite, Darcy Dunstan, introduces himself in one campaign video as “a former SAS soldier who has faced many challenges in my life” over images of him serving in uniform. The video contains a portrait of him in fatigues with the SAS beret.
Another video uploaded to social media shows Dunstan chatting about his service with the shadow defence minister, Andrew Hastie. The video includes images of Dunstan in fatigues undergoing physical training.
Hastie, a former troop commander in the SAS, was sacked from the army reserve in 2016 after he continued to include images of himself in uniform on campaign material. The military takes a stricter approach to candidates who are active members of the reserve.
At the time, Hastie said the ADF had “used a bit of policy to try and push me around, basically”.
“I had to decide whose authority I answered to. It was the people of Canning. As a federal parliamentarian, I don’t take orders from the military.”
Almost a decade later, Hastie has launched paid ads on social media with images of himself on tour in uniform, holding rifles in helicopters and smiling in front of transport vehicles.
“In the army, in the SAS, I learned about courage, about mateship, about leadership,” Hastie said over the images. “I joined up to fight for my country. Now I’m fighting for my family, for my community, and for you.”
The Liberal candidate for Leichhardt, Jeremy Neal, was pictured in military fatigues with a rifle on campaign pamphlets introducing him to the community. Neal’s Liberal party biography doesn’t mention any military service, but his LinkedIn profile states he was an officer cadet in the army reserves from 2016-2018.
Hastie was contacted for comment, including on whether he would continue to use images of himself in military uniform on campaign material if the Coalition wins and he becomes defence minister. No response was received before deadline.
A Liberal party spokesperson said it was proud to have Dunstan, who is no longer a member of the SAS, as its candidate in Corangamite. Dunstan’s campaign corflutes in Corangamite describe him as a “Tradie. Soldier. Dad”.
“As an SAS soldier for over a decade, Darcy defended our country with dignity and honour, and will be rightfully acknowledged alongside all of Australia’s current and former servicemen and women on Anzac Day,” the Liberal spokesperson said.
If a candidate is no longer a member of the Australian military or reserves – and is not using official defence material that is covered by copyright – there is little more the department can do than politely ask them to stop. There is no suggestion the three candidates have breached any rules.
“Defence acknowledges the contribution of former ADF personnel,” the spokesperson said.
While Guardian Australia did not find any examples of Labor candidates using military uniforms in their 2025 campaign material, there have been high-profile historical examples of this.
In 2016, then Labor candidate for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, resigned from the army reserves after he received an instruction to stop using photos of himself in uniform in campaign material.
Kelly told Guardian Australia it was “a really sad day, it ended nearly 30 years of attachment to the Australian army, an institution that I love dearly”.
The Labor member for Solomon, Luke Gosling, was told to stop using images of himself in uniform on campaign corflutes in 2022. Gosling also used images of himself in uniform during the 2016 and 2019 election campaigns.
In 2022, Gosling defended his use of the military images and told the NT News that “being a veteran is a huge part of my identity and I fight on those issues for our defence community here in the territory every day”.
