It was called 'The Things that Matter', a political manifesto Alexander Downer hoped would propel him into the Lodge by appealing to the "silent majority". Its release dominated the front page on this day in 1994. The main story was headlined 'Promises galore, costs later', and the neighbouring comment piece described it charitably as motherhood statements but "some progress at least". Prime minister Paul Keating was predictably withering after he'd read it, telling reporters in Tokyo, where he was on official business, "I was able to knock over most of this and then finish off most of my sushi within 25 minutes." He added: "Fightback looks like a War and Peace compared to this, which is a Mills and Boon economic and social guide." We all know how that turned out. Mr Downer became the Liberal leader with the shortest tenure in history. He helped himself out the door with the memorable gaffe of saying the Opposition's domestic violence policy should be called 'The Things that Batter'. And then there was that time he posed for a photograph in fishnet stockings.