Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Of course the response to the comments by the previous speaker, the member for Lilley, would be simply this: if Australia does not continue the very necessary reform to keep our country productive, then someone else will be eating our lunch. It is as simple as that.

Yesterday the Australian Labor Party again irresponsibly raised the nuclear question. They raised this issue without giving all of the information in relation to the incident that occurred at the Lucas Heights reactor. This incident was not in the main reactor area—

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Ms Hall interjecting

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I might just tell the member for Shortland that the reactor is the size of a washing machine. The fear and scare campaign that continually goes on needs to be put to bed. The issue occurred in an adjacent laboratory where pharmaceuticals were being made for the good of Australians. For some reason or other the Australian Labor Party wants to see that shut down. What happened was that there was a problem with a pipe. Problems with pipes can occur anywhere. They can occur in this building. ANSTO said that there was no danger to anybody. But the Australian Labor Party wants to beat this up for the emotionalism involved.

Yesterday the member for Jagajaga indicated that krypton, argon, xenon or something or other had been released into the atmosphere—

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Did she talk about Superman?

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No. It occurs naturally in the atmosphere. There is no problem with it. Radioactivity occurs naturally all over the country. It is background radioactivity, and that is all that occurred at Lucas Heights. It is just extraordinarily irresponsible for the Australian Labor Party to be trying to put fear into the people of the electorate of Hughes and, more generally, people across Australia. It is time to recognise the realities of our nuclear reserves and to develop a safe and responsible policy regarding their use in Australia.

I certainly have been quite distressed that the storage of nuclear waste has been in a state of paralysis in Australia, and worldwide, for years. There have been unrealistic fears foisted by activist groups and the Australian Labor Party which have been very damaging to the better good of all Australians.

Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They’re not an activist group.

Peter Lindsay (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Aren’t they? They do not do anything. The member for Fisher says the Australian Labor Party are not an activist group, and I guess I would have to agree with that. This debate has to be held on a sensible and scientific basis. I call on the Australian Labor Party to stop this irresponsibility that they have been engaging in.