Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Of the advice of two Homers, there's one that the Labor Party should have taken and the one that they did take. The Greek poet Homer said: 'Words empty as the wind are best left unsaid.' Unfortunately, those opposite didn't take that advice. They went with the Simpsons character, Homer Simpson. And what have they done around nuclear? We've seen the three-eyed fish memes. We've seen the cartoons. We've seen all these things around cartoon characters, but we've seen nothing about facts—and the Australian people want to hear that conversation.

But what else did Homer Simpson say? I'll provide another quote, suitably adjusted for the parliament. Homer said, 'I didn't tell a mistruth. I was writing fiction with my mouth.' Unfortunately, those opposite continue to do it. The $275 reduction in power prices—haven't seen it. Lower the cost of living—it's gone up. No changes to super—that didn't happen. But what did happen is that they've driven up the cost of living, they've driven up rents and they've driven up interest rates. We have seen inflation continue. It's now at four per cent.

Those opposite should actually take the advice of the Greek poet. They should give up on The Simpsons. For the Australian people, that is going down like a brick-and-tyre glider: it is going to hit rock bottom. In the Iliad, Homer said, and this is good advice for all of those opposite, particularly the minister for energy: 'Even a fool learns something once it hits him.'

See this speech in context