The meeting, due last week, was to have been attended by Queensland Liberal National Party president Bruce McIver, formerly a National, who has become a centre of controversy among some Liberals.

Mr McIver goes to the regular combined meetings of the Queensland Coalition MPs when he is in Canberra. The MPs usually get together once every sitting fortnight.

Some Queensland Liberals, including shadow attorney-general George Brandis, have been critical of Mr McIver over his role in the failed attempt by shadow health minister Peter Dutton to win preselection for the safe seat of McPherson. Mr Dutton is having to recontest Dickson, which has become notionally Labor.

While the Liberals and Nationals are in the joint party in Queensland, they revert to separate parties in Canberra.

Tensions have escalated recently. Apart from the Dutton affair, the Liberals are angry at the high profile of Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce, especially over emissions trading, where he is putting regional and rural Liberals on the spot.

The Queensland Liberals are also concerned about "branding" for the election - whether the Liberals and Nationals run under their own brands or under the Liberal National Party brand. Some sources claim a main factor in cancelling the meeting was that preparations on issues to be discussed, including "branding", were not far enough advanced.

The decision to cancel the meeting was taken by Liberal frontbencher Ian Macfarlane and Nationals leader Warren Truss. Nationals saw the incident as a snub of Mr McIver.