Hastie is a member of the
National Right faction of the Liberal Party. His views have been described as right-wing populist and far-right, with strong stances against multiculturalism, immigration, late-term abortions, and the transition to net zero emissions in Australia. He has cited his Christian faith as informing his views on various policies, such as individual freedoms.
China Hastie believes that "freely formed associations are the basis of Australian society and are the fullest expression of self-government". Hastie has expressed concern about the freedom of Australian universities and media institutions. In May 2018, under
parliamentary privilege, Hastie alleged that political donor
Chau Chak Wing was an unindicted co-conspirator in an FBI bribery case involving former president of the UN general assembly,
John Ashe; this revelation was viewed as likely to further inflame the already strained relations between Australia and China, but Hastie saw it as "his duty." An ABC analyst wrote that Hastie acted "because he has become sincerely worried about the influence of China on Australian institutions and politics." Hastie's concerns regarding Australia maintaining its sovereignty in the face of China's rising power in the region led him to form the Parliamentary Friends of Democracy with
Labor senator
Kimberley Kitching. In August 2019, he wrote an opinion article, "We Must See China with Clear Eyes" for
The Sydney Morning Herald and
The Age newspapers, where he stated that "Communist China", rather than
Islamic terrorism, would be the real security concern of the 21st century. The piece was criticised by the
Chinese Embassy in Australia, who denounced the remarks as reflecting a "
Cold War mentality", while Western Australian Premier
Mark McGowan accused Hastie of "threatening WA jobs with extreme and inflammatory language." Conversely, Hastie received praise from fellow Liberal MPs
Dave Sharma and Peter Dutton, and Professor
Clive Hamilton. The Chinese embassy disinvited him from a planned study trip with several colleagues to China with the China Matters think tank, stating: "We strongly deplore the Australian federal MP Andrew Hastie's rhetoric on 'China threat' which lays bare his Cold-War mentality and ideological bias. We urge certain Australian politicians to take off their 'colored lens' and view China's development path in an objective and rational way. They should make efforts to promote mutual trust between China and Australia, instead of doing the opposite." In November 2019,
Wang Liqiang, who described himself as a former Chinese intelligence operative and had sought asylum in Australia, received public support from Andrew Hastie, then Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. Hastie referred to Wang as a "friend of democracy" and stated that "anyone who is willing to assist us in defending our sovereignty deserves our protection". He called on the Australian Government to provide Wang with protection, arguing that Wang's purported revelations of Chinese interference were in Australia's national interest. Subsequent investigations raised significant doubts about several of Wang's claims. His asylum application was ultimately refused after the Administrative Appeals Tribunal found that he had committed fraud against an Australian citizen. In May 2020, Hastie was one of 20 Australian politicians to sign a letter condemning the "comprehensive assault on [Hong Kong's] autonomy, rule of law and fundamental freedoms", in response to a "new legal framework and enforcement mechanism". He was one of a number of backbenchers who pushed for added restrictions on foreign investment in Australian companies. Hastie argued that such purchases are part of wider
political warfare conducted by the Chinese Communist Party. On 4 June 2020, the 31st anniversary of the
Tiananmen Square Massacre, Hastie joined a group of nineteen other politicians from eight countries and the European Parliament to form the
Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
Environment and climate change Arguing in favour of "the sovereignty of local communities to make decisions about how they conserve and develop their environment", Hastie opposed the dredging of the Point Grey Marina but supported the investment of $3 million by the Environment Restoration Fund to protect
Carnaby's black cockatoo, a native bird endemic to
Southwest Australia and currently listed as endangered due to loss of habitat. Hastie has been a vocal critic of Australia's net-zero emissions policy. He argues that the 2050 net-zero target is being made in "the name of climate alarmism". Hastie has publicly opposed the
Paris Agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the
National Energy Guarantee (NEG). He made it clear in August 2018 that he did not support the NEG as it existed at the time. He cited issues including unclear assurances of energy affordability and energy related risks to national security as his reasons for opposing the policies. In September 2025, following the release of Australia's first National Climate Risk Assessment, which highlighted severe and far-reaching social and economic consequences of
climate change, Hastie threatened to resign from the Coalition frontbench if the Liberal Party commits to the net-zero emissions target. Hastie then headlined at a rally in 2019, along with fellow Liberal MP
Ian Goodenough, in support of the farmers. Hastie has made frequent comments regarding migration to Australia, including some that have been interpreted as critical of former Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley and her leadership. In 2025, he used the phrase "strangers in our own country", popularised by conservative British politician
Enoch Powell in his controversial 1968
'Rivers of Blood' speech; Hastie used the phrase as part of a claim that migration had been responsible for increasing housing prices and declining quality of life in Australia.
Marriage equality Hastie has campaigned against
same-sex marriage, abstaining from the 2017 parliamentary vote to legalise marriage of same-sex couples. Hastie had publicly stated he would vote with his constituents but then later refused to vote on religious grounds. ==Personal life==