Grylls wants free fuel cards for seniors
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Nationals leader Brendon Grylls says 40,000 aged pensioners would qualify for the fuel card. (ABC)
The Nationals Leader Brendon Grylls wants aged pensioners living in regional areas to receive free fuel cards to the value of $500.
Mr Grylls met with the Treasurer Troy Buswell this morning to discuss his party's royalties for regions' scheme.
He says under the fuel card plan 40,000 aged pensioners would benefit, with cards to be capped at one per family.
Mr Grylls, also the Minister for Regional Development, says it is not fair that pensioners living in metropolitan areas have access to free public transport and people in regional areas do not.
"It would need to be something that was applied for, it wouldn't just turn up in the mail," he said.
"The people that need it are the ones that applied, and we think that it would provide some equity."
Mr Grylls says the global financial crisis means his party might not get all of its wish list.
"We need to retain the triple A credit rating," he said.
"We won't be spending money that we don't have. We don't wan to run budget deficits, so we will be part of that process.
"We would like to obviously implement everything that we have talked about, will that be possible? time will tell."
