Victorian Liberal campaign bus hits shop awning on its first day on the trail
The Victorian Liberal party's new campaign bus reversed into a jewellery store's awning in Melbourne on its first official outing. No one was hurt and the bus was only lightly scratched.
The first official day of the Victorian Liberal party's state election campaign in Australia hit an awkward moment when its campaign bus backed into a shop awning in Bentleigh, Melbourne. Opposition leader Jess Wilson and journalists were aboard. Nobody was injured, though the awning was damaged. Victorians vote on 28 November.
The large blue bus, called the "Jess Express", was unveiled on Friday, 12 days after the governing Labor party launched its own red bus. It carries an image of Wilson and her slogan, "A Fresh Start for Victoria", while a message on its rear reads "Dodging Labor's potholes."
How it happened
The bus arrived on Centre Road in Bentleigh for a street walk with Liberal candidate Tynan Putt. While trying to reverse into a parking space, it struck the awning of a jewellery store, which was closed at the time. Wilson grimaced, then joked that the owners would easily identify the culprit because her face was on the side of the bus. The campaign quickly contacted the owners to give them its details, and the bus got away with minor scratches.
Hours earlier, passengers – party members and reporters – had read safety cards offering a "guide to surviving 12 years of Labor", which included advice to stay seated and brace for potholes.
Other campaign bus mishaps
In the final week of the 2025 federal election campaign, Peter Dutton's bus got stuck on a raised concrete divider and bike lane barrier on Pitt Street in Sydney's CBD for about 40 minutes, causing traffic diversions. At the 2023 New South Wales state election, then opposition leader Chris Minns used a zero-emissions bus that broke down after hitting a speed bump; he said he had forgotten to charge it.
Political backdrop
The latest Newspoll puts the Coalition ahead of Labor 55-45 on a two-party-preferred basis. The Liberals are targeting Bentleigh, held by Labor MP Nick Staikos on an 8% margin. The seat is seen as a bellwether, having been won by the party that went on to form government at 14 of 16 elections since 1967. Putt said the main local issues were cost of living and crime.
