Andrew Charlton (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Is it just me, or is the Leader of the Opposition becoming more and more like Montgomery Burns from The Simpsons every single day? Think about it: they both hate workers, neither of them smiles very much and they both love nuclear power. In fact, their comments on nuclear power are now so similar, it's sometimes pretty hard to tell them apart. I'll show you what I mean. I'll read you a quote, and you tell me whether it's Montgomery Burns or the Leader of the Opposition. Here's the first one: 'Nuclear electricity illuminates not just our homes but our souls as well.' Is that Mr Burns or the Leader of the Opposition?

Government members: The Leader of the Opposition!

That was the Leader of the Opposition. Good start! Here's the second one. Who said this: 'Oh, nuclear meltdown—that's just a buzzword. We prefer to call it an "unrequested fission surplus"'? Is that Mr Burns, or is that the Leader of the Opposition? That's the Leader of the Opposition as well. This is the last one. Who said this: 'Nuclear waste is a misleading term. A more accurate description is "used fuel"'? Who doesn't like the term nuclear waste? Is that Mr Burns, or is that the Leader of the Opposition? That's the Leader of the Opposition. It could have been Mr Burns, though, couldn't it? They're very similar! Sometimes you can hardly tell them apart. I guess the only difference is that Mr Burns can tell us where his reactors will be.

See this speech in context