A gay special forces commando who triggered a wave of controversy after sharing ‘risqué’ images on Onlyfans has announced he’ll be running for a federal Senate seat at the next election.
Retired major Heston Russell, 36, did four tours of Afghanistan with the 2nd Commando Regiment over his 16-year military career and also served in East Timor and Iraq.
Mr Russell, who is running for the Australian Values Party, told Daily Mail Australia most of the country’s politicians ‘don’t know the first thing about leadership’ and have ‘no real world experience’.
‘We have too many politicians that have never lived,’ he said.
‘I have lived through a lot in my life and that makes me all the more equipped to lead.’
A gay special forces commando (Heston Russell, pictured) who triggered a wave of controversy after sharing ‘risqué’ images on Onlyfans has announced he’ll be running for a federal senate seat with his Australian Values Party
Th retired major , 36 (pictured), did four tours of Afghanistan with the 2nd Commando Regiment over his 16-year military career and also served in East Timor and Iraq
At the beginning of the Covid pandemic Mr Russel was at the centre of a nude photo scandal after he sold raunchy photos of himself to raise money for a veteran’s charity.
Various legal battles erupted over disputes surrounding payments to the charity and the alleged illegal publication of the photos.
The former November Platoon commander denies any wrongdoing but said he ‘regrets ever making an Onlyfans account’.
‘The Onlyfans pics were in March and April in 2020 and it was a very low point in my life,” he explained.
‘It is not something I want to be seen as a role model for, but it is not something I am ever going to shy away from either.’
‘So many elements of the media just focus on that and that is what disgusts me the most.
‘That’s why it’s hard to get good people into politics because you are judged by one single action.’
Mr Russell, who spearheaded calls for the Royal Commission into veteran suicides, revealed he spent all of his life battling his own mental health struggles, describing himself as a ‘fat kid with an eating disorder who was bullied at school’.
‘It took me the better part of my adult life to come to terms with my sexuality and I’m definitely comfortable with who I am,’ he said.
The former November Platoon commander (pictured) denies any wrongdoing but said he ‘regrets ever making an Onlyfans account’
Mr Russell (pictured) spearheaded calls for the Royal Commission into veteran suicides
‘The best support for my mental health has been to reconnect with my community.’
Among his party’s top priorities is to get more people active through suburban sports clubs and various outdoor events.
‘During the pandemic we have been so isolated and the younger generations have suffered the most during Covid, so getting them back around their social groups and active in their community through sport is a great therapy and has been so for many veterans,’ Russell said.
He said throwing money at mental health is not going to fix the problems of loneliness and isolation.
‘A once a week mental health session is not the solution. It hasn’t been the solution for myself and so many other veterans. It has been connecting with other people in our communities which has made the difference,’ he said.
Part of what triggered Russell to run for a Queensland senate seat was the disastrous fall of Afghanistan in August last year – with the lack of planning and accountability leaving the army officer furious at Australia’s policymakers.
At the beginning of the Covid pandemic Mr Russel (pictured) was at the centre of a nude photo scandal after selling raunchy photos of himself to raise money for a veteran’s charity
Russell is set to name the rest of the Australian Values Party candidates in the coming weeks
‘My entire career I was trained to be a professional, tactical and strategic planner responsible for people in a leadership role,’ Russel said.
‘Most of these politicians are good people but they are not enabled and trained to actually be our top level of planners and leaders.
‘They are taught to be reliant on their authority and they are taught to focus on media and public opinion rather than the planning that is required.
‘They are controlled by and reliant on the bureaucrats who simply provide the statements and the plans to them without having any real world experience.’
Russell is set to name the rest of the Australian Values Party candidates in the coming weeks.
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