Victorian Coalition MPs warn Advance campaign risks majority

Victorian Coalition MPs have called the pre-election campaign planned by conservative lobby group Advance "bizarre" and warned it may cost the Coalition majority government at next month's Victorian state election. The Guardian

The criticism was directed at Advance's plan to campaign in Labor-held seats in the lead-up to state polling day. Advance dismissed the MPs' concerns as a "galactically stupid misunderstanding of both the electoral position they find themselves in and our strategy for the campaign".

Advance will from Monday begin campaigning in 20 suburban and regional Victorian seats held by Labor. The group has described the Victorian campaign as a trial run for the federal election.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a 60-second AI-generated ad featuring Premier Ben Carroll alongside former premiers Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews. Its message urges voters that whoever they put first, they should "put Labor last".

Advance executive director Matthew Sheahan sought donations from members in an email last week to finance the Victorian campaign. The planned effort across the 20 target seats is expected to cost about $350,000.

Advance plans to push its ads to voters in those Victorian seats via social media, streaming services, mobile billboards and print. Several of the target seats, including Pakenham, Bass, Hastings, Melton and Yan Yean, are also being targeted by One Nation.

One Nation's Victoria leader Warren Pickering is contesting the seat of Pakenham. One Nation could separately collect as much as $633,000 from people who have put their hand up to run in the Victorian state election. The Guardian