Crikey has shown great interest in the Liberal Party Federal Council, first over the organisation itself and secondly over the infamous cocktail party. As one of the participants, I think the Prime Minister is being unfairly treated quite frankly, though his party organisation is getting off lightly.

I was a Federal Council Business Observer newbie, and only got there through sheer persistence. Though I exist on lots of MPs’ own fundraising databases, I had to ring the Liberal Party three times before anyone sent me through the registration forms for the program (see below or a larger version here ). I also didn’t really pay much attention to the form when I got it and didn’t notice that I had to choose which lunch I attended.

Click for a larger version

None of the venues for the functions showed on the registration form and I confess I was quite confused at registration with all the fuss they were making about the arrangements for the PM’s reception. Then I realised it was on at Kirribilli House, but just the reception, not the following dinner.

So as 5pm approached we were all assembled, asked to have both our conference swing tags and our separate name tags with gold crest. We then shuffled into Pitt St to board buses for a 40 minute journey through peak hour Friday traffic, plus about ten minutes waiting to be let off. We then traipsed through the house to the lawn for a very standard cocktail party — simple drinks and the very occasional canape, punctuated by the mandatory crashing to the verandah floor of a tray of drinks.

The PM said a few nice words of welcome to the Federal Council delegates referring to the fact that it had been all done before at The Lodge.

We then piled onto the buses back to the city at 7pm to attend the dinner.

How much of a bait was it to have to queue for buses from the Westin Hotel and then wind your way back on buses for the dinner back at the Westin? Many of the business observers, while appreciating the opportunity to see the “big house”, were really questioning the use of their time sitting on buses for drinks that could have been held in the city.

So firstly, the event was the PM and his party conference at The Lodge — nothing wrong with that. Secondly it didn’t seem to feature highly in the promotion of the business program — heck, the program was barely promoted. And finally it was pleasant but a lot of fuss for very little outcome, I for one would have been far happier to just stay in the city.

Maybe the issue is not the impropriety as such, but the simple lack of judgement. Perhaps it should have been reserved for the good folk of the Party and simply let us professional “hangers on” go home! Can we please get back to matters of national importance now?