‘Remove females from combat’: Liberal candidate’s controversial claims

The Liberal candidate, described by Peter Dutton as “outstanding”, has made a huge call about women in Australia.

A Liberal candidate described by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as “outstanding” claimed the Australian Defence Force (ADF) “need to remove females from combat corps” in order to “fix” our military.

In a series of fringe podcast interviews before his December preselection for the NSW seat of Whitlam, Benjamin Britton blamed “diversity and equity quotas, Marxist ideology and woke ideologies” for weakening Australia’s defence.

Mr Britton, who served Australia in the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, pointed to the Federal Government’s 2013 decision to lift gender restrictions on frontline combat positions.

Though he had served alongside “tremendous” women in the ADF, Mr Britton told right-wing figure Joel Jammal that “if we’re to fix our defence force, unfortunately, they’re going to need to remove females from combat corps”. About 20 per cent of Australia’s military personnel are women.

“Their hips are being destroyed because they can’t cope with the carrying of the heavy loads and the heavy impacts that’s required from doing combat-related jobs,” he said in the podcast interview with Jammal last July.

“I knew some of the toughest men I’ve ever met in my life, absolute nails. War left them a shaking mess. Drug addicted. Can’t go outside the house because they have panic attacks.

Liberal candidate for the NSW seat of Whitlam, Benjamin Britton. Picture: Liberal Party

“If war can do that to them and destroy them, why would you want to send your beautiful women? Your females – the ones that are the backbone of your society. Your society only exists because of women … Why would you want to sacrifice them in war, on the altar?”

Female soldiers sent to the frontline in Ukraine’s war against Russia had been killed because they “didn’t stand a chance and “should never have been there in the first place”, Mr Britton said.

“You’re seeing all the bodies in there – braided hair … Can barely hold up a rifle, and they put them on the frontline to just be killed,” he said.

“You’re throwing away one of the most precious things that you have in your society.”

Mr Britton did not respond to news.com.au’s request for comment.

Mr Britton said in order to ‘fix’ the ADF, it needs to ‘remove females from combat corps’. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Mr Britton made the comments in a podcast interview with right-wing figure Joel Jammal. Picture: Instagram/@joeljammal

In January, Coalition leader Peter Dutton shared a photo alongside Mr Britton during a visit to Moss Vale, which falls under the seat of Whitlam – currently held by retiring Labor MP Stephen Jones. Mr Britton will face Labor’s Carol Berry and the National’s Katrina Hodgkinson in the election.

“Ben’s working hard in his community and standing up for local families and small businesses, drawing on his dedication as a veteran and his leadership in the defence industry,” the post’s caption read.

“This area has been ignored by a local Labor member who is asleep at the wheel, but with our positive plans and an outstanding candidate like Ben, we’ll get this region and our country back on track.”

There is no suggestion that Mr Dutton shares Mr Britton’s views on females serving in ADF combat roles.

Peter Dutton with Mr Britton in January. Picture: Instagram/@peterduttonmp

Mr Britton unsuccessfully ran for the United Australia Party in the 2022 federal election. Other controversial views he has expressed in the past 12 months included that exposure to pornography was “pushing” young men into “transgender desires”.

“This is why we see extreme, unrealistic sexual practices and desires in the community (that) have risen massively over the last, say, 40 years, as a direct result of pornography,” he said.

While in an interview last August, he said the education system “brainwashed” and “indoctrinated” students with Marxist ideologies.

“It’s a disaster, but it shows how much of a failure our education system has been because no longer do they take children and teach them how to think, they teach them what to think, and they teach them the wrong thing,” Mr Britton said.

The Coalition’s campaign headquarters did not respond to a request for comment.

Originally published as ‘Remove females from combat’: Liberal candidate’s controversial claims