Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Infrastructure and Industrial Relations) Share this | Hansard source

The member at the table says, ‘Have a look at the landmass and the areas we cover.’ I would say to the member, ‘Have a look at where the national interest needs are. Forget about landmass.’ That is an argument of the 1940s. Move into the 21st century and have a look at where the needs are, at the priorities for the nation, not at priorities based on who has the most land: the ‘my block’s bigger than your block’ theory. It has nothing to do with how big the block is. It is about where the needs are. It is about state and federal government relations and investment in the future. The member is shaking his head; I think he is agreeing with me because that is right: we should not look at the size of the block of land. We should look at where the most important parts of infrastructure are.

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