Inside Jess Wilson’s Social Media Offensive That’s the Talk of Spring St

The Victorian Liberal leader’s party released a tongue-in-cheek social media clip to mark the opening ceremony date of the Commonwealth Games the state never hosted. The short video was produced by jess wilson’s small social media team and features current and former MPs performing a string of mock sporting events that lampoon the cancelled Games and the political fallout that followed.

Inside Jess Wilson’s Social Media Offensive

The clip, set to the 1989 track Pump Up the Jam, casts MPs in a series of staged moments: doing bombs into a swimming pool, a muscle-shirted Brad Battin curling what is described as 20kg, John Pesutto throwing a discus in blue jeans, and Matthew Guy running while clutching a pink baton. The video invents events that reference political controversies, including a “running out of money relay”, the “highest taxes and debt high jump”, “red tape hurdles”, “policy backflips”, “missed targets archery” and the “budget bomb”.

MPs were asked in a group chat whether they wanted to take part and were told to bring activewear. Props were sourced from Kmart. Regional MPs who had travelled to Melbourne for parliament filmed their scenes on the Monday before the clip was released. Observers have noted how many members agreed to appear, with the cast bringing together three former leaders for the first time, the party’s newest MP Rachel Westaway and a range of upper-house members, including Bev McArthur and Renee Heath, who are facing preselection challenges this month.

How the Video Was Made and Who Appeared

jess wilson’s small social media team say they wrote, filmed and edited the video themselves, following a formula used in earlier Instagram reels. That formula includes sharp, shareable visuals and quick, humorous points of comparison; one recent reel compared the cost of corruption in the construction union to 2. 4 billion meat pies at the MCG, a post that drew the ire of the AFL.

The media team said their intent was to mark what would have been the opening ceremony date while recognising that voters have grown fatigued of the Games controversy. The Games were cancelled in 2023 at a cost to the state of almost $600 million. The cancellation produced widespread headlines at the time but did little to dent support for the then premier. A parliamentary inquiry and a federal inquiry followed, though commentary suggests neither inquiry particularly cut through in public debate, even when the minister responsible for delivery of the Games subsequently became premier.

Reception and Why the Clip Matters Now

Communications professional David Imber described himself as genuinely impressed by the clip, highlighting strong opening and closing frames while suggesting the middle section veered toward being like a school project where everyone wanted a turn. He praised the visual boldness and said the outing was likely to attract the attention of voters who have become disengaged from the issue.

The release underlines the party’s effort to turn a fraught political episode into a moment of team display and social media traction. Whether the clip alters public sentiment about the cancelled Games or broader political questions will depend on how widely it is shared and whether the tone cuts through voter fatigue on the subject.

The piece is part of a deliberate push by the leader’s team to use short-form social content to reach audiences and to mark the anniversary of an event that has remained a political touchpoint since its cancellation.