If you have a lazy $10,000 today and you’re in Sydney, why not head along to Hyde Park and meet some senior shadow ministers? In the middle of the big business lobby’s efforts to portray Labor as anti-business, Labor’s fundraising arm, Labor Business Forum, is holding a “Business Exchange” all day today, in which you can meet a range of ministers and hear presentations from Catherine King, Kim Carr, Chris Bowen and Jason Clare. The highlight, though, is a cocktail event with the whole ministry, led by Bill Shorten and Tanya Plibersek at 6pm. It’s unusual for an event like this to occur during a campaign, since shadow ministers will have to fly in to Sydney from their campaigns — notionally at the party’s expense, not taxpayers’ — and then fly back to their campaign locations. Happily, at least Labor will tell us who showed up — eventually. Labor reveals any donations or other contributions above $1000, but we’ll have to wait until February to find out who’s there today. But the timing of the event raises the question — is Labor doing it tough financially in this epic campaign?

labor business exchange