How much Bega candidates spent on social media advertising, and who they targeted

However, how each candidate does this and who they target their advertisements towards, differs between candidates.

There are seven candidates vying for the seat of Bega in the state election on March 25.

Only three candidates - those from the Liberal, Greens and Labor Parties - have used paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram to appeal to voters.

Below is a summary of some of their advertisements, how much they spent and who they were targeting.

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Labor MP Dr Michael Holland's personal account has run four ads since the start of the election campaign, which is less than he ran when he won the seat in the 2022 by-election.

Dr Holland doesn't advertise specific policies or promises. His main spending was promoting a post reflecting on the end of his first term in the office and asking people to "Vote 1 Labor".

However, both Labor NSW and Chris Minns MP accounts have run targeted ads in the Bega, focusing on issues of health and housing, particularly in the Eurobodalla. These two accounts have more than doubled the spending by Dr Holland's social media account.

Total Estimated Spend: $3400 to $4300

Target Demographic: Women, and voters over 45

NSW Labor ran an advertisement about the proposed rate rise in Bega Valley Shire under the mayoral leadership of Liberal candidate for Bega Russell Fitzpatrick from February 2 to February 9, spending between $200 and $300 on pushing it to approximately 5000 voters in the Bega Valley Shire area. The advertisement targeted women more than men, and younger voters as opposed to old. Women aged 25 to 34 made up 14 per cent of the audience for the ad.

The 'Dr Michael Holland works and delivers for us' campaign includes three social media graphics and was launched on March 21 across Facebook and Instagram.

NSW Labor paid between $300 and $500 for the campaign and targeted people aged 55 and over.

For one post featuring a photo of Dr Holland smiling, 30 per cent of the audience was women aged 65 and over.

Chris Minns MP also sponsored eight ads that were specific to the Eurobodalla and focused on the issues of affordable housing and the new Eurobodalla Hospital.

Two of the ads began running on March 17 and have been viewed between 70,000 and 80,000 times, costing Labor between $900 and $1000. The ads were targeted at women more than men across all age demographics, particularly women over 65.

Six ads ran from March 4 to March 15 promising "Labor will open the new Eurobodalla Hospital at Level 4 and employ an extra 500 paramedics in regions like the South Coast". Labor spent between $2000 and $2500 promoting the ad which was seen between 150,000 and 175,000 times, with women over the age of 65 making up 13 per cent of the audience.

Liberal candidate Russell Fitzpatrick has run six ads across the campaign. Almost half of all Mr Fitzpatrick's total spending on the campaign was to promote an introductory video post.

He also promoted two posts featuring Eurobodalla-centric promises and announcements regarding the topics of health and infrastructure.

Total Money Spent: $4439

Target Demographic: All demographics, particularly younger voters and voters aged 35 to 54.

The Liberal Party spent between $900 and $1000 on an ad showing candidate Russell Fitzpatrick and Premier Dominic Perrottet which ran from March 10 to March 18. The advertisement reached almost 45,000 people, but was targeted only at an audience aged 35 to 54 and predominantly women.

The Liberal Party spent between $700 and $800 promoting an ad featuring Russell Fitzpatrick's wife which ran from March 7 to 11. It reached 35,000 to 40,000 people, predominantly women, across all ages.

An ad about health and the New Eurobodalla Regional Hospital ran for three days from March 4 to 7, reaching 30,000 to 35,000 people.

Mr Fitzpatrick's introductory video was seen between 220,000 and 275,000 times, costing the Liberal Party between $1600 and $2200. It ran from February 21 to March 19. Younger voters viewed the ad marginally more than voters over the age of 45.

The "big announcement" regarding infrastructure in Moruya advertisement ran from February 24 to 27, costing between $300 and $500 and was viewed between 25,000 and 30,000.

Finally, Mr Fitzpatricks' 'how to vote' advertisement started running on March 22, five days after pre-polling opened. The ad cost around $100, reaching an estimated 8000 people and targeted towards voters under 34 years of age.

Green candidate for Bega Cathy Griff has more video content promoted on social media than any of the other candidates, with six out of her eight ads featuring Ms Griff talking to the camera.

Ms Griff posted many videos focusing on specific election topics: logging, health and housing and zombie developments.

Total Estimated Money Spent: less than $1200

Target Demographic: Voters under the age of 34 and women

The Greens spent an estimated $100 on an advertisement about their policy towards zombie developments aimed at voters under the age of 45. The ad ran from January 9 to January 18 and reached approximately 12,000 views.

The Greens' ad about housing featuring Senator David Shoebridge was shown on between 15,000 and 20,000 screens costing the party between $100 and $200.

A video about the need to stop native forest logging featuring Eurobodalla deputy mayor Alison Worthington was shown on around 10,000 screens between January 27 and February 3, costing the Greens less than $200. Voters aged 25 to 34 made up 23 per cent of the audience; voters over 65 years old made up just 12 per cent.

Another video on stopping logging, this time featuring Senator David Shoebridge, was on 12,000 to 14,000 screens between January 27 and February 10 and cost the Greens less than $200. It was largely targeted towards men, with men aged 25 to 34 making up the largest demographic of the audience - 13 per cent.

A video by Cathy Griff featuring a Bega-based psychologist on the topic of healthcare was viewed between 10,000 and 12,000 times. The ad was aimed at young voters under 35 and women. Women under the age of 34 made up 29 per cent of the total views.

Again, the ad cost the Greens less than $200.

Ms Griff and the Greens targeted healthcare again in a video with Greens candidate for the Upper House Dr Amanda Cohn which was sponsored from March 15 to 22. It reached between 9000 and 11,000 views. People under 34 years of age made up 55 per cent of the audience. At every age bracket, the ad was shown to more women than men. It cost the Greens less than $200.

Editor's Note: this story has been updated to include the spending of Labor through the Chris Minns MP account for ads specific to the Bega electorate.