Liberals make Canberra election base

The Liberal party has taken the unusual step of basing its election campaign headquarters in Canberra.

Melbourne has been the home of the Liberal election machine since 1987, where Labor remains based for the 2016 poll.

The headquarters, which has yet to be outfitted, sits in the Barton near the party's organisational office RG Menzies House.

The government's campaign will be headed by Tony Nutt, a former chief of staff to John Howard.

He will be assisted by Andrew Hirst, a former deputy chief of staff to Tony Abbott and adviser to opposition leaders Malcolm Turnbull and Brendan Nelson.

One veteran campaigner told AAP that running a campaign out of Canberra was like "being stuck in a U-boat" for weeks.

Labor's campaign will be run by national secretary George Wright.