Loose cannons

@columhead = No-one told us before

"Police often have very difficult decisions to make in the course of their work, and a code which gives them practicable and sensible guidelines will be very helpful." — Phil Tunchon, president of the NSW Police Association, on a new police "code of conduct'.

@columhead = No conflict

"He even posed for photographs at them." — A spokesperson for NSW police commissioner Peter Ryan, explaining that Ryan hadn't violated his own police code of conduct when he accepted free tickets to the AFL grand final and to a stage play.

@columhead = And stuff the spirit

"Meticulous in following the letter of the law." — Liberal Party federal director Andrew Robb, on the party's observance of electoral funding disclosure laws, after it was disclosed that $5.75 million in contributions were funnelled through trusts that allowed contributors to be hidden.

@columhead = Gaps — or moonlighting?

"The theft of this machine from the fourth floor has clearly revealed gaps in the head office security which must be urgently addressed." — SA police commissioner George Fivaz, after thieves stole an automatic teller machine from police headquarters in Pretoria.

@columhead = Question of the week

"The Order of Australia is a society of honour. What sort of society of honour is it that includes people with criminal convictions?" — Douglas Sturkey, secretary to the governor-general, responding to reports that Alan Bond's AO will be stripped from him after he pleaded guilty to defrauding Bell Resources of $1 billion.

@columhead = Who could forget a billion?

"[It would be] tragic if Australians were to forget [Bond's] very significant legacy". — Professor Don Watts, former Vice-Chancellor of Bond University, suggesting that Bond be allowed to keep his AO.

From GLW issue 262