Liberal MP Andrew Hastie spent years building a cult following. Why did he lash out at his fans yesterday?

Liberal MP and former SAS officer Andrew Hastie has built a cult following among many conservative voters over his 10-and-a-half years in Parliament by presenting himself as their dream candidate for prime minister: handsome, brave and moral.

This week many of those former fans expressed anger towards the member for Canning for supporting a Labor law that gives Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke the power to outlaw extremist political groups.

Mr Hastie, who has now spent more time in politics than the military, responded by lashing out in a Facebook post that included a gibe at people who previously considered him a hero — an unusual step for someone who has been open about their leadership aspirations.

As the Liberal Party considers whether to replace leader Sussan Ley, the post raises a delicate question for Mr Hastie’s colleagues: does the 43-year-old have the temperament to unite a Coalition facing one of the greatest crises in its history?

“Politics is not for everyone,” Mr Hastie wrote on Wednesday evening. “It’s like war: things go wrong, and you often only get a choice between multiple bad options.

“Purity is for keyboard warriors and paid influencers. Thanks for clarifying where you all stand.”

Khyle Green responded: “You’re not at war mate, you’re sitting in an air conditioned Parliament House with tea and scones.”

Shifting positions

Last week, after the proposed laws became public, Mr Hastie was one of the first Liberals to argue they should wait for the findings of the royal commission into anti-Semitism, which has a December 14, 2026 deadline.

“I’ll be voting against it,” Mr Hastie said on January 14. “This Bill is an attack on our basic democratic freedoms: freedom of conscience, freedom of speech and freedom of religion.”

Six days later, after the Government removed clauses criminalising racial vilification, Mr Hastie voted with his Liberal colleagues for the law, which many of his former supporters regard as a threat to political activism that threatens the major parties.

A brief video explaining his decision received 8800 comments on Facebook, most of them negative.

“I used to think Hastie was a stand up guy,” wrote someone who calls themselves The Snark Tank. “Until we saw how quickly he rolled over.”

By midday Thursday, a second post by Mr Hastie criticising his critics had received 7500 replies. Most expressed disapproval of the backbencher’s refusal to cross the floor and vote against the Government and the Liberal Party.

‘Read the room’

One of the most popular comments, which received 1000 likes, came from another special forces veteran, Dean Parkinson, who, like Mr Hastie, fought in Afghanistan. “Read the room Andrew,” the former commando wrote.

Some online critics even cited Mr Hastie’s testimony against former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith in a war crimes defamation lawsuit the Victoria Cross recipient famously lost in 2023. “Is that what you said to Ben Robert Smith?” wrote Justin Mathew.

Others expressed more disappointment than hostility towards a politician who has attracted a strong following among conservatives for his advocacy for increased defence spending, opposition to large-scale immigration and resignation last year from a senior Opposition job over its now-abandoned support for net zero climate polices.

“I hope you read these comments,” wrote James Sage. “Most of these people are Patriotic Australians that are concerned at the direction Australia is heading. These are the people that volunteer in the community, raise funds & support your election campaigns.

“Your post a week ago stating you would vote against this legislation was a prudent move. Yesterday’s action not so much.”

While Mr Hastie was being criticised on social media, his main conservative competitor for the party leadership, the 59-year-old Angus Taylor, was on a family holiday overseas, which meant he did not vote on the laws, or receive the same backlash.

Mr Hastie, who did not respond to a request for comment from The Nightly, has built up a database of supporters around the country who contribute campaign funds to his safe seat, other Liberals said.

Maintaining this flow of cash may become harder after this week, although Mr Hastie avoided a damaging fight over the Bill with his Liberal colleagues. That’s now happening with the Nationals.