Liberal frontbencher Andrew Hastie is set to receive extra security in what he believes is a response to a One Nation-fuelled campaign against him, including over his stance on the Ben Roberts-Smith war crimes allegations.
Security Measures Announced
At a partyroom meeting on Tuesday, Hastie told colleagues that the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, had advised him that he had been identified for security measures at his home and electorate office. Hastie said Burke did not disclose the nature of the threats that prompted this.
Liberal sources said Hastie told colleagues he believes the decision was a response to a months-long online campaign from One Nation and its supporters, including over his involvement in the Roberts-Smith case.
Background on Roberts-Smith Case
Hastie, a former SAS soldier, served alongside Roberts-Smith in Afghanistan and was subpoenaed to give evidence in the defamation trial that the Victoria Cross recipient brought against the Nine newspapers. Hastie is a potential witness in the criminal trial after Roberts-Smith was charged with war crimes in April. Roberts-Smith has denied all allegations against him and said that he had “always acted within my values, within my training and within the rules of engagement.”
The One Nation leader, Pauline Hanson, has been an enthusiastic supporter of Roberts-Smith, telling a recent rally that he was a “war hero” and a person “I respect and admire.”
Hastie's Defiant Response
In comments first reported in the Nine papers and confirmed by Guardian Australia, Hastie told Tuesday’s meeting that he would not stop fighting One Nation. “I would rather get taken out in a box than bend the knee to One Nation,” he said. “I will never surrender to One Nation, and we will do them, and do them slowly.”
A separate Coalition source said Hastie did not directly reference Roberts-Smith but accused One Nation of “weaponising issues” against him and his family and said he would “fight to the end.”
Coalition Tensions Over One Nation
The comments add to the tension inside the Coalition about how best to confront One Nation, as the populist party’s support surges. Some Liberals, including party president and former prime minister Tony Abbott, support working with Hanson’s party while others, such as Hastie, view One Nation as a political opponent.
Hastie’s allies suspect One Nation is targeting the Canning MP because he is viewed as a bigger threat than the opposition leader, Angus Taylor. Allies believe the campaign escalated in the fallout to the hate speech laws debate in January, when Hastie was labelled a “traitor” in right-wing online circles after supporting the legislation. It then intensified after Roberts-Smith’s arrest in April.
Hastie has been a vocal critic of Hanson after she defended Donald Trump’s war in Iran. “Pauline Hanson’s problem is that she is Maga first, even when the Australian people suffer the economic consequences,” he said.
One Nation's Response
One Nation rejected suggestions it was targeting Hastie. “One Nation isn’t driving any campaign against Andrew Hastie,” the party said in a statement to the Nine papers. “The Liberals are doing plenty of damage to themselves; they don’t need our help. We make no apology for joining the many Australians who support Ben Roberts-Smith VC.”
