Pray for a job

“It is essentially an act of faith that

the Jobs Compact will improve the job prospects of the

participants.” -- Professor Judith Sloan, of the

National Institute of Labour Studies, on the

government's green paper on unemployment.

Show biz

“At the end of the day we are the star

turns because we whack into each other with machetes. I

can remember Graham coming up to me and saying, `Mate,

mate, we've got to have a blue'. It can be hard to get

the troops back after lunch.” -- Senator John

Faulkner, from the NSW ALP “left”, on disputes

with the right's numbers man, Graham Richardson, at

state conferences. Quoted in the Melbourne Age, April

19.

Qualifications

“Sheer bloody-minded bastardry [is] the

statutory prerequisite for elevation to high office in

the [ALP] machine.” -- Former NSW Labor MLA

Rodney Cavalier, quoted in the April 23 Sydney Morning

Herald.

Economic rationalism

“I suppose the bottom line is that you

can get greater protection through X-ray machines, but

the cost differential is greater. You always have to

balance cost against threat.” -- National Crime

Authority chairperson Tom Sherman, explaining why the

NCA uses metal-detecting scanners rather than X-ray

machines to guard against letter bombs. A letter bomb

which killed a policeman in the NCA's Adelaide office

last month was not detected when passed through a

scanner.

Immature

“I am still immature and am hesitating

about whether I can carry the nation on my back.”

-- Tsutomu Hata, 58, on being selected as Japan's

prime minister.

Peace doesn't pay

“Gold slumped to five-month lows,

platinum to two-month lows and silver to six-week lows

as the news that the Inkatha Freedom Party would not

boycott the April 26-28 South African elections hit the

markets.” -- Financial Review, April 21.

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