ALAN KOHLER Business Spectator
Last week I bumped into a government relations manager of a major company who paid $10,000 to attend the ALP conference.

He was very happy with his investment because he got time with Treasurer Wayne Swan. He doesn’t know what difference it might make, but at least someone in Federal Cabinet now knows his company’s point of view. Everybody was happy: he got access and the ALP got $10,000. The National Conference, which the ALP had to have anyway, suddenly became a fund-raiser. Read more here

Meanwhile in Tasmania: It’s the nature of the Beast … It’s no big deal, says Premier Bartlett