On his main frustration: "If I could have one office with two rooms, one for state issues and one for council issues, I could sit in the middle and wouldn't have to go between offices."

On the Opposition attacks on him as Mayor and local MP: "You allow them to kick you in the head in two places.

I know here, I get the Opposition, I get the candidate, I get the local councillors...

They shouldn't be allowed to take our council issues to state parliament in the upper house."

On the benefits of being Mayor and local MP: "I think there's a great benefit to be able to speak directly to the minister.

"I've only been there 12 months but I think there's a great benefit of the state member being able to get to the ministers and all of that."

On abolishing state government and what would happen to state MPs: "We should just have a federal government and local council.

Most local members would just become the local mayors."

On the future of print media: "I think in due course the print media is going to go, I think their days are numbered."

On the media: "The media is the enemy of democracy.

I think sometimes the media has too much power."

On his local papers: "I had my staff ring up the local editors and ask why [there were no more photos of Mr Lalich in the paper] and he said they said: "He's state government, we're going to try get rid of him".

[Jessica Mahar: ''The editors said this?'']

"That's what he said that they said. Maybe it wasn't those exact words. I wouldn't want to put words in his mouth. At the end of the day that's what's happened."

On his leader: "Poor old Nathan Rees is not given a fair go, the poor bugger can't make a move without bad press."

On his relationship with the Medich family: "I've known them since the 60s and 70s.

At the beginning I'd never heard of this bloke [Michael] McGurk.

The Medich's have been great people and have been supportive of the community, they have done a lot since they have been here.

They have done well, employed a lot of people, done a lot of development.

They were always above-board, always a nice family."