The Australian Hotels Association held its annual national luncheon on Monday, as always the day before the Melbourne Cup, as always in the Botanical Gardens. And, as always, President Scott Leach and chief Stephen Ferguson drew a prodigious delegation of politicians, state and federal. With ScoMo's bus tour of Queensland in full swing, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack (the Nationals party room, only just rid of mad rooter Barnaby Joyce, reportedly unhappy with their new leader's lack of infamy) led the drinking and punting conservatives, while Bill Shorten himself, with wife Chloe, was Labor's top billing. The alternative PM and First Lady sat beside captain's pick Victorian Senator Kimberley Kitching and her husband Andrew Landeryou. Hey, all of us have those friends. Hey, even Scott Morrison has Stuart Robert!

McCormack's deputy Bridget McKenzie attended, as did Liberal Senator Jane Hume, retiring Reid MP Craig Laundy and expert Trucking Minister Scott "Giddy Up" Buchholz. The Libs' God squad stuck together – think Kevin "Schwarzkopf" Andrews, Australia Post director Michael Ronaldson, AB InBev's Julian Sheezel, and a late-arriving Education Minister Dan Tehan. Oh, and Cities Minister Alan "Thou Shalt Not" Tudge. Way across the room was the soon-to-be-former member for Boothby Nicolle Flint, with Liberal aspirant Nick Cater, the only person in Australia ever to prove Dr Andrew Leigh's facts right. Tabcorp chief executive David Attenborough sat with NSW Sport Minister Stuart Ayres. Other federal Libs we spotted: the soon-to-be-former member for Flynn Ken O'Dowd and the soon-to-be-former member for Corangamite Sarah Henderson. Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman sat with the Apple Isle's favourite son: champion wood-chopper David Foster, who still looks like he ate Boonie.