40 Facts About Andrew Hastie

Andrew William Hastie was born on 30 September 1982 and is an Australian politician and former military officer currently serving as the shadow minister for defence.

Andrew Hastie has been Member of Parliament for the Division of Canning in Western Australia, since the 2015 Canning by-election.

Andrew Hastie was Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security from 2017 to 2020.

Andrew Hastie was a troop commander in the Special Air Service Regiment prior to him entering politics.

Andrew Hastie's mother Sue was a primary school teacher for special needs children.

Andrew Hastie's maternal grandmother Rose was a nurse and cared for Hastie's maternal grandfather Reginald, a war veteran.

Andrew Hastie's father Peter was a church pastor in Wangaratta, Victoria; and later in the inner Sydney suburb of Ashfield, where he helped launch Australia's first Mandarin-speaking Presbyterian church.

Andrew Hastie completed his second year at the Kensington Campus in 2002 before transferring to the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra in 2003.

Andrew Hastie went on to officer training at Royal Military College, Duntroon in 2006, where he met his political mentor John Anderson.

In 2007, Andrew Hastie completed the George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs US Foreign Policy Summer Program in Washington, DC Andrew Hastie has completed a Graduate Certificate in Business Economics through Harvard Extension School.

Andrew Hastie began his military career as an officer cadet in 2001.

Andrew Hastie was posted in 2007 with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, based in Palmerston, Northern Territory.

Andrew Hastie commanded a cavalry troop in 2008, before it was deployed in Afghanistan the following year.

Andrew Hastie was first deployed to Afghanistan with Mentoring Task Force Two where he commanded a troop of Australian Light Armoured Vehicles.

In July 2010, Andrew Hastie was assigned to 1 SAS Squadron in May 2012 which was deployed to Port Moresby to support the Papua New Guinea Defence Force during a general election.

From February to July 2013, Andrew Hastie was deployed to Afghanistan as an SASR officer with Special Operations Task Group Rotation XIX, largely targeting Taliban forces in partnership with other Afghan forces.

Andrew Hastie afterwards ordered his unit to cease the practice, and the incident was reported to ADF command.

Andrew Hastie was deployed in 2014 and 2015 to an intelligence role in the Middle East-based role countering ISIL as an Operations Officer for Operation Gallant Phoenix.

Andrew Hastie resigned from the ADF in August 2015 after announcing his candidacy for the 2015 Canning by-election.

Andrew Hastie was first elected in the 2015 Canning by-election and was re-elected in the 2016 and 2019 federal elections.

Andrew Hastie joined the government of Malcolm Turnbull who had himself become Prime Minister of Australia a week before the by-election.

In September 2016 Andrew Hastie was appointed to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

Andrew Hastie spoke in 45 debates in 2019, above average according to Open Australia, mostly regarding national security matters.

Andrew Hastie has opposed dredging and the development of the Mandurah Estuary for a 300-berth marina, citing the lack of grassroots interest as well as environmental and possible geo-strategic concerns.

Andrew Hastie is reported to be a witness into Australian armed forces war crimes investigations.

In May 2020, Andrew 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".

Andrew Hastie was one of a number of backbenchers who pushed for added restrictions on foreign investment of Australian companies.

Andrew Hastie argued that such purchases are part of wider political warfare conducted by the Chinese Communist Party.

On 4 June 2020, the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Andrew Hastie joined a group of nineteen other politicians from eight countries and the European Parliament to form the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.

Andrew Hastie was a strong supporter of the Turnbull Government's decision to prevent Huawei from providing 5G services in Australia.

Andrew Hastie is a member of the National Right faction of the Liberal Party.

Andrew Hastie has been described as a "conservative" and campaigned against same-sex marriage, abstaining from the 2017 parliamentary vote to legalise marriage of same-sex couples.

Andrew Hastie is a member of the Atlantic Council, an international foreign policy think tank connected to conservative politicians Mike Gallagher from the United States and Tom Tugendhat from the United Kingdom.

Andrew Hastie has cited his Christian religion as informing his views on various policies, such as individual freedoms.

Andrew 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 with Labor senator Kimberley Kitching.

Andrew Hastie has publicly opposed the Paris Agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the National Energy Guarantee.

Andrew Hastie made it clear in August 2018 that he did not support the NEG as it existed at the time.

Andrew Hastie cited issues including unclear assurances of energy affordability and energy related risks to national security as his reasons for opposing the policies.

Andrew Hastie met his wife Ruth in the summer of 2007 while he was studying at George Washington University.

Andrew Hastie was described by Labor MP Brian Mitchell as "a man of deep faith".