Andrew Hastie is an Australian Liberal Party politician, a former Special Air Service (SAS) officer, and the longstanding federal Member of Parliament for the seat of Canning in Western Australia.

Quick Scoop: Who is Andrew Hastie?

  • Andrew William Hastie (born 30 September 1982) is an Australian politician in the Liberal Party.
  • He has represented the federal electorate of Canning in the Australian House of Representatives since winning a 2015 by‑election.
  • Before politics, he served in the Australian Army, including as a troop commander in the elite Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), with deployments to Afghanistan and the Middle East.
  • In Parliament, he has focused on defence, national security, infrastructure, and the social impacts of drug abuse in his community.
  • He has held senior security and defence roles, including Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (2017–2020) and Assistant Minister for Defence (2020–2022).

Background and Career

Early life and education

  • Hastie was born in Wangaratta, Victoria, and grew up in a Christian household; his father was a pastor and his mother a primary school teacher.
  • He attended The Scots College in Sydney and later studied history, politics, and philosophy at the University of New South Wales before moving to the Australian Defence Force Academy.
  • He completed officer training at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and also undertook a U.S. foreign policy program at George Washington University.

Military service

  • Hastie began his military career as an officer cadet in 2001 and was commissioned as an Army officer in 2006.
  • He served with the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and later with the SAS Regiment.
  • He deployed to Afghanistan, commanding Australian Light Armoured Vehicle operations during 2009–2010, and later served in special operations roles targeting Taliban forces.
  • He was also involved in intelligence work in the Middle East against ISIL before resigning from the ADF in 2015 to run for Parliament.

Political life and views

Parliamentary roles

  • Hastie entered Parliament at the 2015 Canning by‑election, retaining and then strengthening the seat for the Liberals at subsequent elections.
  • He served on, and then chaired, the key Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security between 2017 and 2020.
  • From late 2020 to 2022 he served as Assistant Minister for Defence, reflecting his defence and security background.

Policy focus and public profile

  • Hastie is known for strong positions on national security, foreign interference, and Australia’s strategic posture, especially in relation to China.
  • He has spoken about the threat of authoritarian regimes and the need for Australia to be militarily and politically prepared for strategic competition.
  • In his electorate, he has campaigned on infrastructure funding for the Peel region and on tackling drug abuse and its social consequences.

Personal life and beliefs

  • Hastie is described as a man of deep Christian faith, something that has shaped both his personal life and public positions.
  • He is married to Ruth Hastie, with whom he has three children, and they live in Mandurah, Western Australia.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.