Liberal Party conferences are dull compared to Labor love-ins, but they normally at least stick to the schedule. Which makes this message received from a subscriber more than interesting:

I attended the ALP business observers program several weeks ago and it was very well organised – plenty of notice provided as to who would be speaking at brekkies, lunches and dinners and also times of appointments with selected shadows. There were also plenty of shadows always in attendance at the various functions for business observers.

In contrast with the Liberal conference due to start Friday we still have no ideas as to what will be our program and if any of our requested appointments will be met. All this for a sum of $8,000. Phone calls are not answered. If the Libs are going to run their election campaign anything like the organisation of this event then they are in more trouble than one thinks.

Perhaps the party staff are already too busy staving off “annihilation” to worry too much about whether business observers to the conference get their covers turned down and a chocolate on their pillow.