Senator McLUCAS (3:15 PM) —I do not know that many age pensioners are huge consumers of cordial. I suggest that it is mainly young families who are the consumers of cordial. In taking note of Senator Newman's answers to questions today, I want to note that the theme that developed was the gap—the gap between Senator Newman's and the government's rhetoric on families and on welfare and the reality that our communities are facing day in and day out. I refer first of all to the age pension savings bonus. Let us go through the rhetoric of the government that we have witnessed over the last almost 18 months. I remember very vividly Mr Howard on talkback radio during the last election campaign earnestly telling people not to worry about the erosion of their savings, that they would be okay. They were protected because there was going to be this fantastic new system called the age pension savings bonus and everyone out there would get $1,000 to shield them from the impacts of the GST. It was not `up to' $1,000 as Senator Patterson said over and over in her contribution just earlier—and the media has confirmed that in the last couple of days. He said quite clearly, `Not to worry, aged person; you will get $1,000 as a buffer against the impact of the GST.' That is the rhetoric of this government.

Today we had Senator Newman earnestly telling us that she wrote on three separate occasions to age pensioners. She wrote telling them the scope of the program that they were going to receive and that they would be able to receive up to $1,000. That is not what the age pensioners of Australia thought. They clearly are of the view that they were going to get $1,000. She then went on to say that she could not hold their hands while they read their mail. I think that was rather an offensive comment, blaming the reader rather than the writer. She was basically saying it was the fault of the pensioner that they believed that they would receive $1,000. A lot of people out there had that same view. Most people out there had the view that they were going to receive $1,000 as a buffer against the GST.

Let us turn now to the reality that the community are experiencing. It is nothing like the rhetoric of this government and of Senator Newman. Like everyone in this place, I have received calls upon calls from the Mrs Cooks of the world telling me that they are shocked, appalled and offended by receiving a letter from the government with a cheque for $1. Aged people have said to me, `It must have cost them more than a dollar to send me a dollar.' I think we have heard that around this place before. Aged people know the bureaucratic cost of producing that and they know it costs more than $1. But $1 is all they received. An elderly gentleman from Townsville rang me. He said, `I voted for Peter Lindsay. I voted Liberal most of my life.'

Senator McLUCAS —I will give you the file note if you would like it. But you can be assured, Senator Hill, that this gentleman said that he certainly will not be considering voting Liberal at the next election, because he feels betrayed. It is not because he only got $1. He feels betrayed by the process. It was bad enough of this government to mislead these people, but unfortunately the sad reality is that many of these aged people actually spent that money prior to receiving it. A woman from North Queensland rang me and said, `What am I going to do now? I have got a cheque for $1. I have bought an early purchase flight to go to visit my daughter in Brisbane. I can't cash it in. How am I going to pay for it?' That is the sad reality of the gap between the rhetoric of this government—the misleading ways of this government—and the impact it has on real people in real situations. I would also like to advise the Senate of the costs. (Time expired)