Federal election 2016: Mike Kelly rejects army order over uniform

Labor’s candidate in Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, has quit the army rather than comply with a Defence Department order.

Labor’s candidate Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, has quit the army rather than comply with a Defence Department order to stop using a photograph of himself in military uniform in a campaign brochure.

Labor’s candidate in the NSW bellwether seat of Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, has quit the army rather than comply with a Defence ­Department order to stop using a photograph of himself in military uniform in an election campaign brochure.

Declaring his resignation a “very sad day” after 30 years in the army, Mr Kelly said that there ­appeared to be heightened sensit­ivity within Defence over its policy of banning Australian Defence Force members from participating in any political activity in uniform.

He said Defence had told him on Thursday night that if he did not remove the photograph, he would be unable to remain in the army standby reserves, so he had resigned.

Mr Kelly, a former defence ­materiel minister, was contacted by Defence just hours after reports emerged that the Liberal MP for Canning, Andrew Hastie, had been sacked from the reserves for refusing to take down a billboard showing him in army fatigues.

Labor’s candidate for the seat of Brisbane, Pat O’Neill, has also run foul of Defence and has promised to tear down by tonight three billboards showing him in his army uniform.

Mr Kelly yesterday called on the department to clarify its policy on the issue, saying he believed he had complied with it over his polit­ical career. “I understand perfectly Defence’s approach to these ­issues,” he told Sky News.

“The only time I’ve used any image has been just of myself, with no other members of the ADF ­involved, and in low-key background biographical material. It had always been my interpretation that fitted into Defence’s policy, but clearly there is a bit more sensitivity around it at the moment.

“It’s a very sad day because this is now an end of 30 years of my ­attachment to the Australian Army. It’s an institution that I deeply love. I consider it a major part of my identity.”

The Australian Defence Assoc­iation said yesterday it did not ­believe Mr Kelly’s brochure had breached the Defence policy. However, the organisation said the use of military uniform in large campaign billboards by Mr Hastie and Mr O’Neill was a clear breach.

Mr O’Neill, who is still in the army reserves, told The Weekend Australian that his three offending billboards in Brisbane, held by the Liberal National Party’s retiring MP Teresa Gambaro, would be ­removed.

“I’ve spoken with Defence and right from the outset it was never my intention to cause offence to anybody,” he said. “I got out of the army … after a good career and I don’t want this campaign to get sidetracked talking about billboards when there’s more important issues of policy to discuss.

“I am going to comply with ­Defence’s request and take the billboards down, and focus on talking about policy issues and the electorate.”

A spokesman for Defence ­denied reports that the ADF was considering asking the government to change the law to prohibit election campaign material featuring military uniforms.