Senator JACINTA COLLINS —Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Is the minister aware that four per cent of age pensioners paying the $4,500 average debt levied under the government's new pilot face interest bills of up to $675 per annum because they have repaid these debts using credit cards? Minister, what action have you taken to ensure that age pensioners are not paying hundreds of dollars extra in interest on debts they would not have got if the system had checked their details on a more regular basis?

Senator PATTERSON (Minister for Family and Community Services and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women) —Senator Collins has failed to understand yet again that the obligation is on the customer to advise Centrelink about changes in their circumstances. People are given the option of how they will repay their debt, and she has gone through this in estimates. We are about ensuring that people in similar circumstances with similar assets and similar income are treated similarly by the taxpayer and given similar assistance.