"The right to collectively organise pay and conditions of work is a basic civil right. When you say to people, 'You can't get together at work, you can't organise your conditions', you're back to the earlier part of the industrial revolution. And that's where Howard belongs. You know, he's a pre-Copernican obscurantist."

Former Prime Minister Paul Keating on the rampage

"Let's not have all these turkeys in the business community say, 'Oh, isn't this shocking'. All those middle-of-the-road fascists in the News Corporation papers…these people would not have the wit to compose an industrial relations policy."

Keating hits the mark again

"That would have to make the Reserve Bank sweat and it might make them sufficiently worried to be raising rates ahead of the election. This is a finely calculated gamble."

Access Economics' Chris Richardson on the Liberals' budget spending. What was that about "economic management"?

"For every dollar that's spent in this Budget to tackle climate change, $10 are still spent on activities that promote greenhouse pollution. So, the truth is we're going backwards not forwards."

Don Henry, Australian Conservation Foundation

"This is an event that will bring disruption to the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders with very little benefit to them. It is Dick Cheney multiplied by 50."

NSW Deputy Premier on the September APEC summit

"APEC will provide nothing tangible to the good people of Sydney and business community of Sydney."

Watkins again

"I am just amazed that anybody could say he doesn't want the most prestigious gathering of international leaders Australia has ever seen."

John Howard responds to Watkins