Keep defence out of election says ADA

The Australia Defence Association has urged political candidates to stop using the defence force as an election campaign prop.

ADA executive director Neil James said it was clearly improper for former army officer Pat O'Neill, Labor's candidate in the LNP held seat of Brisbane, to stick up large billboards showing himself in uniform.

Mr James said that was an unequivocal breach of the long-standing convention that Defence remained non-partisan.

"It is always improper to imply or otherwise associate our defence force with support for any candidate, party or policy," he said in a statement.

Mr James said billboards were a particular problem because they were highly visible, without providing an observer with any context.

But a similar image inside an election leaflet as one of a series of photos depicting the candidate's life experiences could be viewed in context and would cause little or no damage to Defence's non-partisan reputation.

Mr O'Neill's Brisbane billboards show him in army uniform with the words "Serving. Our Community. Our Nation." Defence has asked him to take them down.

Mr James said every Australian lost when Defence's institutional non-partisanship was compromised.

That included when election candidates using material which implied Defence backed a particular candidate, party or policy.

"Billboard and poster advertising constitutes an unacceptable risk of being misconstrued as the ADF somehow endorsing that candidate or their political stance," he said.