BEC Watson, who has risen to digital fame with her “Bec’s Unhinged Reviews” social media account has had a short but succinct look at the Nepean by-election before deciding to pass.
The Mornington resident has had a meteoric rise since starting her page in October last year to over 40,000 Facebook followers of her scorched earth reviews of local towns and landmarks that have captured the imagination of a community who always knew it but were too polite to say it.
Taking to social media on 6 February, Watson told her followers “Alright I need to be very clear because this has gone from ‘haha wouldn’t it be funny’ to holy shit what is actually happening”.
“Yes, I did this as a joke. A proper joke. A few drinks (maybe more), a laugh, a bit of satire, a bit of taking the piss.
“The thing is, I do actually love helping people. I love making change where I can, calling stuff out, backing communities, and doing things that actually make sense. So seeing people take this seriously was equal parts hilarious and deeply ‘oh shit’.
“Because suddenly you start thinking about what that would even look like and what it would involve and honestly… it’s massive.
“For the record, my current qualifications include a netball coaching certificate, food handling, and an RSA that expired a while ago.
“I’m not saying anything is happening. I’m not saying anything isn’t. I’m just saying this started as a joke, turned into a moment, and now I need to sit with it and actually think like a grown adult… which frankly feels irresponsible already.”
Her accompanying poster, created by a follower, included some platform positions including “Fix a pothole. Not all of them. Just one (proof of concept)” and “Maybe… just maybe… lowering liquor taxes”.
More fuel was added to the fire with a picture on Zoe McKenzie’s Facebook page of the two of them together with the simple caption “Talking tiger!”.
The tilt was over by 11 February with Watson announcing, “As much as I love the idea of marching in there yelling about potholes and common sense, stepping into state government right now isn’t worth my family’s time or peace”.
“I will always be someone who speaks up. I will always call out bullshit. I will always back the people over the polished scripts. That doesn’t change just because I’m not putting my name on a ballot paper.
“And who knows… if a local council position pops up one day? Now that’s a different kettle of fish. That’s community. That’s grassroots. That’s something I’d be keen as mustard to have a crack at.”
Waston ended her post with her usual signoff of “Stay Unhinged, legends” and left a Nepean by-election that is sure to be far less entertaining than if she was in it.
First published in the Mornington News – 17 February 2026