Sydney — The Liberal Party has swiftly removed its candidate for the NSW seat of Whitlam, Benjamin Britton, following revelations of controversial comments he made regarding women in the military.
Party leader Peter Dutton confirmed the decision on Sunday after news.com.au unearthed interviews Britton gave on fringe podcasts prior to his preselection in December 2024. In the interviews, Britton, a former member of the 3rd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, argued that the Australian Defence Force needed to “remove females from combat corps” to strengthen military capability.
He further criticised the Federal Government’s 2013 decision to lift gender restrictions on frontline roles, blaming “diversity and equity quotas, Marxist ideology and woke ideologies” for what he described as a weakening of Australia's defence force.
The backlash was swift and widespread, prompting the NSW Division of the Liberal Party to convene an emergency meeting of its Administrative Committee.
In a statement to news.com.au, the party confirmed the disendorsement: “The Administrative Committee of the NSW Division met today and has endorsed Nathaniel Smith as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Whitlam.”
Mr. Smith, a former MP for Wollondilly, is expected to bring stability to the campaign as the party seeks to maintain discipline and focus ahead of the upcoming federal election.
The swift action signals a firm stance by Liberal leadership to distance itself from inflammatory rhetoric and maintain a broader appeal to voters, particularly on issues of gender equity and inclusion within the armed forces.
The seat of Whitlam, currently held by Labor, will now see Nathaniel Smith take on the challenge of reclaiming ground for the Liberals in what is expected to be a tightly contested election.
