Most of the people who are coming to Australia by boat have passed through several countries on the way, and if they simply wanted asylum they could have claimed that in any of the countries through which they'd passed.

The problem with politicians getting to know the issues in indigenous townships is that we tend to suffer from what Aboriginal people call the 'seagull syndrome' - we fly in, scratch around and fly out.

For small business men and women, less paperwork means higher profits, boosted sales and more time with the family.

I think that political marriages are subject to more strain than most precisely because of the nature of politics.

We have already provided a strong humanitarian response to the problems in the Middle East and that response will be stronger within coming days.

I instinctively try to protect people from filth.

There's always a lot happening. I mean, that's the thing about politics: it's just one damn thing after another!