Looks after who?
"How would you like to live next to deserted women and children?" — Keith Hewitt of estate agent Raine and Horne ("Raine and Horne looks after you") in Canberra, complaining to the Canberra Times about a recent land purchase by the ACT Housing Trust.
Mailman
"As far as I'm concerned, me delivering mail is a non-issue." — South Coast Labour Council secretary Paul "Mailman" Matters after striking clerks accused him of crossing their picket line to do some of their work by delivering mail to the offices of the building and engine drivers' unions, with which the clerks were in dispute.
Hard times 1
Since 1989, media billionaire Kerry Packer has spent nearly $10 million buying up properties around his Bellevue Hill mansion so his family can live nearby. His latest purchase was a neighbouring $1.37 million mansion. In 1989 he paid $5.4 million for two adjoining pads, and in 1991 another $2.5 million for another one.
Hard times 2
"There's no bar, so any suggestion that it's a gin palace is way off the mark." — A spokesperson for NSW transport minister Bruce Baird on the Greiner government's purchase of a $600,000 luxury yacht for harbour cruises by politicians, senior public servants and guests.
Type of thing
"We've got rumours that these are the most trustworthy, honest girls in the region and most of the guys are looking to find a nice girlfriend, a fiancee or wife type of thing." — A seaman from the USS Blue Ridge, a high-tech carrier visiting Townsville as part of the Coral Sea commemorations.
Right now!
"The abuses of Congress have to stop." — A Michigan state senator on the state government passing a constitutional amendment, 203 years after it was initiated by President James Madison, preventing any pay rise ordered by Congress from taking effect until after the next elections. The amendment needed the endorsement of 38 states to become law, and Michigan became the 38th to endorse after members of Congress voted themselves a $30,000 rise with less than 20 minutes' discussion.