Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise in this place on behalf of Mr Allen Worley, a pensioner from Victoria. Mr Worley sent me a letter he wanted delivered to the Treasurer and enclosed with it a money order for $51.40. Mr Worley wrote to the Treasurer:

Having witnessed your address to the matter of good citizens during your budget address rather than be damned by faint praise or grovel in gratitude for a pittance herewith find a money order to the value of $51.40 paid into my bank account by the government you so effectively represent.

The writer has engendered a life time custom never to accept demeaning, patronisation from any person.

Perhaps it is a personal trait that you cannot make that which may be regarded as an act of governmental good will without creating offence.

But then, it may be a talent after all, the government gets the money back, as was the case involving a cheque to the value of $300 regarded at the time as reminiscent of a bribe.

Having received that letter and money order from Mr Allen Worley, I did forward it, as he asked, to the Treasurer. It was delivered to his office on 4 September. In response, Mr Worley received a letter from a liaison manager with the Treasury, which stated:

I acknowledge receipt of your letters of 10 July to the Treasurer and 2 August 2006 to the Member for Lalor, Ms Julia Gillard, MP, concerning the one off payment to seniors in the 2006-07 Budget.

The Treasurer has asked me to thank you for taking the time to write and to advise you that he is unable to accept your money orders. Therefore, I am returning the money orders to you.

To that, Mr Worley’s reply, as recorded in a letter to me, received by me on 3 October 2006, is as follows:

Herewith please find letter and money orders returned by Comrade Costello (one of which was cancelled). Apparently he can hand out money on behalf of the government but cannot accept it on behalf of the government. That conundrum strikes me as somewhat curious—particularly as I thought it was his job.

It might also be an item of some concern for Australian taxpayers, who certainly think that Mr Costello does not mind receiving money from them. Mr Worley has taken grave offence at the demeaning payment forwarded by the Howard government to pensioners, and I wish to record his views in the Hansard of this parliament because they are important and I do not believe that they have been weighed with sufficient importance by the Treasurer.