Imposing whose will?
"If they [the protesters] go ahead with threats to shut the forum down then we will take appropriate steps to ensure people can go about their business without intimidation by a group of people seeking to impose their will on the general community." — Victoria's protective security forces head Peter Halaran on the state's intention to ensure that the September 11-13 meeting of the World Economic Forum in Melbourne goes smoothly.
Human rights, not women's rights
"The Labor Party has traditionally taken the view that where something involves the termination of life, it is appropriate to have a ... conscience vote. [But] when the matter deals with issues of human rights, we've always taken a position of approaching it collectively." — ALP leader Kim Beazley trying to explain why the ALP supports a conscience vote on abortion but not on IVF access.
Government racism, then ...
"The only essential difference between today's and those past forced removals [of Aboriginal children from their families] relate to the Wilson report [on the stolen generations] totally false accusations that the past removals were based on racist motives." — Peter Howson, Liberal federal minister for Aboriginal affairs in 1971-72.
... and now
The forced removal of Aboriginal children from their families from 1911 to the early 1960s was "lawful and benign in intent ... They were different times, different people and different attitudes." — The current minister for Aboriginal affairs, John Herron.