Andrew Hastie's nomination as the Liberal Party candidate for the Canning byelection, bolstered by his record as a Special Air Service officer, has highlighted the appeal of a career in politics for former military personnel.
He has been joined at the hustings by former Army public relations major Greg Smith, representing the Australian Defence Veterans Party.
If either was successful they would join the ranks of several West Australian pollies who have served under the colours.
Emergency Services minister Joe Francis is a third generation sailor.
After graduating in 1988, he enlisted in the Royal Australian Navy following in his father's and grandfather's footsteps.
Mr Francis later worked as a political staffer for state and federal members of parliament. In 2000, he moved to Western Australia and bought a small business franchise.
He rejoined the RAN in 2002 and served as a submarine navigator and warfare officer.
After completing back-to-back submarine deployments to south-east Asia, he took up a new role as a submarine warfare instructor.
In 2008, Mr Francis was elected as member for Jandakot and is still an active member of the Navy Reserve.
He said military personnel were often idealistic and believed in service to others.
"You'll find they believe in very strong values like courage, integrity, honesty and leadership," Mr Francis said.
He believed it was exceptionally healthy for a democracy to have its leaders come from a variety of backgrounds, including the military.
"The military provides excellent leadership training and it could be said to prepare individuals for a future career in politics or public service," he said.
Mr Francis said his family background - with its military tradition and sense of service - also played a strong role in determining his career path.
Opposition leader Mark McGowan joined the Navy in 1989 and served at the naval base HMAS Stirling.
He was awarded a commendation when he later rescued an unconscious driver from a burning car and is still a member of the Navy Reserve.
"I always had an interest in public affairs and political issues well ahead of my entering the navy," he said.
Mark McGowan rescued an unconscious driver from a burning car.
McGowan was partly driven by an old-fashioned notion of doing something for the country.
"I think political life gives you the opportunity to do something above and beyond yourself," he said.
Military life trained a person to be organised, learn how to focus on priorities and relate to people from all different walks of life.
"I think it also gives you an appreciation for hard work," Mr McGowan said.
Opposition Tourism spokesman Paul Papalia served in the RAN for 26 years as a navy diver, rising to the rank of lieutenant commander. He specialised in explosives retrieval and escape and rescue.
Mr Papalia served with the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq during the early 1990s and was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross in 1994.
He later returned during the Iraq War, serving as executive officer in an Australian mine-clearing team. He left the navy in 2004.
Paul Papalia served in Iraq in the 1990s.
Mr Papalia said when he was approached to stand as a member, he and his wife discussed their belief that Australians were fortunate to have such a sound political system of government.
"We believed that if an opportunity presented itself to serve and support, then you have an obligation to participate," he said.
He was drawn to the Labor party as he believed it was the party of inclusion and one that ensured nobody was left behind.
"A military background certainly gives you or enhances that sense of service. It also tests your character in many ways that prepares you for future leadership roles," Mr Papalia said.
Member for Churchlands Sean L'Estrange served Australia as an infantry army officer in both the regular army and the Army Reserve.
Career highlights included promotion to lieutenant colonel and commanding a reserve infantry regiment, which trained and deployed soldiers for missions to the Solomon Islands.
Mr L'Estrange also helped prepared and deployed troops for national security tasks.
He deployed to Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, where he was the Australian Task Force Commander's operations analyst to Uruzgan province.
Sean L'Estrange prepared troops for national security tasks.
Mr L'Estrange said the essential similarity between the military and politics was a commitment to serving the community.
"A strong service ethos is essential to both," he said.
Mr L'Estrange said army officers were trained to be able to work under pressure, sometimes in very dangerous environments, where they must be able to make difficult decisions while caring for others.
"This reality is also reflected in politics, whereby the decisions made at a policy level can impact people's lives," he said.
He said senior officer experiences in Afghanistan and Australia included a focus on problem solving, continuous improvement strategies and policy development.
"This background has obvious synergies with government policy formulation," he said.
Mr L'Estrange still serves as a colonel in the Army Reserve.
Labor member for Willagee Peter Tinley joined the Australian Army in 1981 and graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, with the Queen's Medal as the cadet graduating top of his class.
He spent 17 of his 25 years in the Army in the SAS. In 2002, Mr Tinley was the lead tactical planner for Australia's special forces, advising the United States.
In 2003, he served as deputy commander for the Special Forces Task Group in Iraq. Mr Tinley was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for "dynamic leadership and consistent professional excellence".
"As a member of the SAS, I came from a strictly apolitical environment and that's an important tradition to have in your military in a democracy like ours," Mr Tinley said.
Peter Tinley spent 17 of his 25 years in the Army in the SAS.
He said he'd always been interested in politics and international relations and wanted to understand more. That curiosity led him towards the main political parties.
"I settled on Labor because I believed that it challenged the status quo and was committed to reform and to teamwork," Mr Tinley said.
He said the military had trained him to be resilient, a quality that was vital in the political arena.
"Parliament can be a cold, hard place where people often play the man or woman rather than the ball," he said.
"That's not my way, but you've got to be robust to survive and thrive."
