AN AUSTRALIAN navy officer has painted his pinky finger nail in hot pink in support of the 100 Days For Change, a campaign to promote a ­nationwide push among companies for gender ­equity in the workplace.

When the Australian navy posted photos of the unlikely bearded poster boy across social media, it didn’t go down well with the navy pilloried for being ­focused on a “politically correct” campaign rather than focusing on the defence of the realm, The Australian reported.

Clearly angered, former Labor leader Mark Latham posted on his Outsiders Facebook page yelling: “THIS WILL SCARE THE ENEMY …”

“Sadly this is not a joke. It is the Australian Defence Force under Marise Payne and Malcolm Turnbull. Pink fingernails are yet another tragic sign of PC-capability being put ahead of defence capability,” he wrote.

NSW RSL president James Brown also lashed out saying it “should never have been dragged into such a loaded political exercise”.

The 100 Days For Change campaign was launched this month by Women and Leadership Australia with journalist advocate Tracy Spicer as the public face of the campaign.

“Navy has made great progress in making sure women aren’t unfairly treated,” Mr Brown said last night. “But ordering uniformed personnel to join social-activism campaigns is a step too far and risks politicising the defence force.”

The Defence Department tweeted that the navy had recently become involved in the campaign. “To encourage gender equality and diversity in the workplace, personnel in Sydney painted their pinky fingernails pink as a visual indication of support,” the department said.

Many of the more than 600 commenters who responded to the tweet supported Mr Brown’s views, saying the navy “should stay neutral in these issues.”

Recently, the @Australian_Navy began taking part in the #100DaysForChange campaign.



To encourage gender equality and diversity in the workplace, personnel in Sydney painted their pinky fingernails pink as a visual indication of support. pic.twitter.com/AK9JqszdR6 — Defence Australia (@DeptDefence) July 28, 2018

Twitter user Kirralie Smith said: “Stick to defence and employing people according to merit and ability not their gender. This is an affront to REAL diggers — male and female — who just want to get on with their job. Your virtue signalling makes you look weak and an embarrassment to the rest of Australia.”

Another said: “That’s not supporting anything but toxic chemicals on your fingers. Stop. The way you support equality is just by doing it. No pink. No blue. Just serving.”

Lauding the aims of the campaign on the official navy website, Deputy Chief Mark Hammond said 21.3 per cent of the navy’s workforce was female, “a statistic navy can be proud of, but more needs to be done”, The Australian reported.

The campaign partners include the not-for-profit Australian Gender Equality Council and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency, an Australian government statutory agency.

“What I love about this campaign is the focus on practical change, from the grassroots to the top end of town: action, not words. It will be exciting to see what we are able to achieve,” Ms Spicer said of the campaign.

There are various pledges for change on the campaign website, including from Warrant Officer Gary Wight of the Royal Australian Navy. “I will focus on the strength and increased capability we gain from a truly diverse and inclusive workforce,” he said.

Mr Latham told The Australian the 100 Days For Change campaign was another doomed “PC project”. “These guys are fighting for their country … why engage in pathetic virtue signalling?” he said.

The office of Defence Minister Marise Payne and campaign advocate Tracey Spicer have been contacted for comment.

Originally published as Navy mocked over painted nail video