Most memorable Australian quotes of 2018

"The Victorian public is really outraged by some of the goings on ... the reality is people are scared to go out to restaurants of a night time because they're followed home by these gangs, home invasion and cars are stolen." - Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton blames Victoria's crime rate on Sudanese gangs.

"[It] was just a lifelong ambition to headbutt a fascist because I'm a skinhead that likes ska music and hates fascism." - Astro Labe, 38, pleaded guilty in Hobart to headbutting former prime minister Tony Abbott.

"He's made a balls-up of it." - Environmental campaigner Ian Kiernan on NSW transport minister Andrew Constance's "captain's call" to temporarily name a vessel Ferry McFerryface despite FOI documents implying it should have been named after Mr Kiernan.

"I didn't see that through my thick tears." - Australian Open champion Roger Federer on tennis legend Rod Laver taking a video of him as he sobbed uncontrollably during the Australian Open trophy presentation.

"It was quite beautiful and important, not just for gay people, but for everyone to see them finally marry." - Sydney celebrant Andy Rohner on the more than 370 same-sex marriages registered across Australia.

"I know I'll regret this for the rest of my life. I'm absolutely gutted. I hope in time I can earn back respect and forgiveness." - Australian captain Steve Smith takes full responsibility for the ball tampering scandal in Cape Town.

"If I can't be loyal to the leader then my judgment is I resign." - Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton pledges allegiance to then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull five months before he challenged him for the top job.

"One wants to be free to choose the death when the death is at an appropriate time." - Australian scientist David Goodall, 104, hoped his decision to end his life in Switzerland would lead to changes in Australia's voluntary euthanasia laws.

"Why are you smiling then if it is not good news? You are so pleased. You are so pleased." - Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull fires back at a journalist who brought up his 29th successive Newspoll loss.

"It is fitting that the Commonwealth Games is known as 'the Friendly Games', as one of the world's friendliest countries has invited us into their homes for this momentous event." - Prince Charles at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony on the Gold Coast.

"Thank you and your delicious wife for your warm welcome. It was the perfect organisation of this trip." - French President Emmanuel Macron expresses thanks to the Turnbulls during his visit to Australia.

"You should stop shagging men." - Liberal Democratic Party Senator David Leyonhjelm to Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young during a heated debate over a Greens proposal to arm women with tasers to protect themselves from male violence.

"I'm almost home safe." - Comedian Eurydice Dixon messaged a friend as she walked home from a gig, hours before her body was found on a Carlton North soccer pitch.

"It was all we could do to watch it without throwing a brick at the TV." - Natalie Joyce, estranged wife of Barnaby Joyce, on his paid television interview with his new partner Vikki Campion.

"It's one of the most heroic and inspiring episodes of our time." - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, just hours after the last of 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach were rescued from a flooded cave in Thailand.

"Turnbull is just a speedbump on the road to the Trumpification of the modern Liberal Party that a Dutton leadership would finalise." - Wayne Swan sums up the sentiment surrounding the Dutton-led Liberal leadership challenge.

"The era of the political assassin is over, and thank God for that." - Former prime minister Tony Abbott tells Ray Hadley on 2GB following Malcolm Turnbull's ousting.

"They (the government) hate her... We are tarred with her brush. I think it's simple. Get rid of her. We need to save the ABC -- not Emma." - Former ABC chairman Justin Milne in an email to then managing director Michelle Guthrie about senior journalist Emma Alberici.

"The au pair is the flowery language that's used. It's complete nonsense." - Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton denies the women involved in the au pair scandal were actually au pairs.

"Why did it happen? Too often, the answer seems to be greed - the pursuit of short-term profit at the expense of basic standards of honesty. How else is charging continuing advice fees to the dead to be explained?" - Commissioner Kenneth Hayne expresses his concerns during the inquiry into the banking and financial services sectors.

"First of all, thank you for the welcome you have given Meghan and I over the last few days. I have been so proud to be able to introduce my wife to you and we have been so happy to be able to celebrate the personal joy of our newest addition with you all." - Prince Harry at the Invictus Games opening ceremony in Sydney.

"He stood next to me. He put his hand through a gap in the back of my dress and inside my underpants. He rested his hand on my buttocks. I completely froze." - ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper's statement alleging then NSW Labor leader Luke Foley groped her during a 2016 parliamentary Christmas after-party.

"We have solved homicide before without identifying the body." - NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller, following the high-profile arrest of Chris Dawson, whose missing wife Lynette was the subject of a popular podcast produced by The Australian.

"Labor has chosen to allow terrorists and paedophiles to continue their evil work in order to engage in point scoring." - Defence Minister Christopher Pyne said in tweets he subsequently deleted.

Australian Associated Press