Despite?
"Despite presiding over a period of the most sweeping economic liberalisation since India achieved independence 46 years ago, [Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha] Rao has been battered by allegations of corruption ..." — Sydney Morning Herald, July 29.
Deep shallowness
"A lot of the parliamentary Liberal Party suffer from a pretty profound lack of intellectual depth." — Republican Malcolm Turnbull, annoyed by the Libs' clinging to the monarchy.
Sturdy independence
"Mr Turnbull said the republican cause was the cause of Australia, a development of the finest British traditions of sturdy independence." — Sydney Morning Herald report of a debate on the republic.
Whose job?
"I'm not going to give up. I'm going to continue to find a way of giving them a job. It's just a matter of time." — Liberal leader John Hewson, promising to find a front-bench role for probable challengers Peter Reith and Senator Bronwyn Bishop.
The dollars do
"It's the duty of the board to establish and communicate to shareholders who is culpable, and management theory would suggest the buck stops at the top man." — Australian Shareholders Association chairperson, on Western Mining Corporation (headed by Hugh Morgan) after it was found in court to have trespassed illegally on a small company's claim.
Drink up
"A significant volume of the water which flows into the Warragamba Dam has been through sewage treatment works, whether it is through the Lithgow treatment works, the Wallerawang treatment works or the Goulburn treatment works." — Former NSW environment minister Tim Moore on the source of Sydney's drinking water.
Lessons in democracy
A public opinion poll in Russia named Margaret Thatcher as the foreign politician Russians would trust most to solve their country's problems. Informed of this honour, Thatcher suggested the best move for Russia was to dissolve its parliament.