‘Not our friends’: Victorian Coalition warns Advance’s ‘bizarre’ campaign may cost it majority government

Victorian Coalition MPs criticise Advance's campaign as 'bizarre' and warn it may cost them majority government at next month's state election.

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Victorian Coalition MPs have criticised a prominent conservative lobby group's pre-election campaign as 'bizarre' and warned it may cost them majority government at next month's state election.

The criticism has been dismissed as 'galactically stupid' by Advance, which has rebuked the Coalition for not being further ahead in the polls.

Advance will begin campaigning in 20 suburban and regional seats in Victoria held by Labor, describing this as a trial run for the federal election.

The centrepiece of Advance's campaign is a 60-second AI-generated ad featuring the premier, Ben Carroll, alongside his predecessors Jacinta Allan and Daniel Andrews.

The video underscores the group's key message: whoever you put first, 'put Labor last'.

Several Coalition MPs have told Guardian Australia they have concerns that Advance is undermining a key conservative election message.

Coalition candidates have spent months telling voters the 'only way' to defeat Labor is to vote for them.

'They're essentially telling voters the opposite of what we have been telling them for months now,' said one Coalition MP.

'It's bizarre and it's not helpful at all,' said another Coalition MP.

In an email to members last week, Advance's executive director, Matthew Sheahan, sought donations to finance the lobby group's Victorian campaign, which is expected to cost about $350,000.

This money would push Advance's ads to voters in the 20 target seats on social media, streaming services, mobile billboards and print.

'Labor is behind, the vote is split, and they're counting on the numbers further down the ballot to carry them back in,' Sheahan said.

'That gives you a rare chance: to trial the campaign against Labor at a state election, before it's run against Albanese,' Sheahan said.

Several of the 20 seats selected by Advance are being targeted by One Nation, including the ultra marginal seat of Pakenham, which is being contested by One Nation Victoria's leader, Warren Pickering, as well as Bass, Hastings, Melton and Yan Yean.

These seats are also crucial to a Liberal path to majority government.