What exactly is happening to our politicians?

At a time when Australians are dealing with rising power bills, mortgage stress, and cost-of-living pressure, you’d think elected representatives might be focused on serious issues.

Instead, we get a State of Origin “promo” video so awkward, so forced, and so out of touch, it almost defies belief.

Four politicians. A camera. A script that feels like it was written in a hurry and approved by no one who actually understands public sentiment.

And the result?

Pure cringe.

This isn’t a light-hearted community engagement moment. It doesn’t feel authentic. It doesn’t feel clever. It feels staged, forced, and painfully aware of itself — the kind of content that makes people reach for the skip button immediately.

State of Origin is one of Australia’s most loved sporting rivalries. It doesn’t need political branding. It doesn’t need taxpayer-funded performances. And it certainly doesn’t need elected officials trying to insert themselves into something millions of Australians already care about deeply.

But here we are.

And it raises a simple question: who exactly thought this was a good idea?

Because if the goal was to connect with everyday Australians, it has arguably done the opposite. It feels less like genuine engagement and more like content creation for the sake of content creation.

Meanwhile, the people involved are not social media influencers. They are supposed to be lawmakers. Representatives. People entrusted with serious responsibilities on behalf of their communities.

And yet increasingly, politics seems to blur into performance.

The Federal Member for Hunter, Dan Repacholi, has also been active on social media in recent days, adding to the sense that online content is becoming a growing priority for some elected officials.

But Australians don’t elect politicians to produce videos. They elect them to deliver outcomes.

Infrastructure. Energy policy. Health systems. Housing supply. Jobs.

Not awkward skits that leave viewers wondering how much taxpayer time went into planning, filming, and approving them.

Because make no mistake — even a simple video like this involves staff, scheduling, coordination, and public resources. It all adds up.

And when the final product looks like this, it’s fair for people to ask whether priorities are in the right place.

State of Origin doesn’t need politicians.

And voters certainly didn’t ask for this.

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