Labor candidate for the seat of Brisbane, Pat O'Neill, has given in to pressure from the defence force to remove billboards featuring him in his army uniform.
The announcement comes a day after the Australian Defence Force sacked West Australian MP Andrew Hastie from the army reserves for refusing to remove images of him in his uniform from his campaign material.
All ADF members are banned from taking part in political activities while dressed in camouflage.
Mr O'Neill on Friday said he had agreed to comply with the ADF's direction because the attention was distracting from his election campaign.
"I got out of the army to talk about issues and policy and to make the country better," he told AAP on Friday.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
"I just want to avoid distractions like this, which I don't think add to the conversation."
Mr O'Neill said the billboards would now be removed "as quickly as possible" this weekend.
He said he was "really disappointed" with the way Mr Hastie had been treated.
"Our politics are different but he's a good guy," he said.
"He's got a proud service history and I think that should be recognised."
Mr O'Neill may have complied with the ADF's request, but he said voters should know about his background.
"I left school when I was 17 and I got out of the army two-and-a-half weeks ago," he said.
"It's a really important part of who I am."
The Labor candidate said he was of the understanding the decision meant he would remain in the reserves.
