Hanson’s super “pay boost” would leave workers poorer in retirement

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has proposed wrecking millions of workers’ retirements by undoing the preservation of super for retirement.

One Nation’s proposal allowing workers to access up to 25% of their superannuation contributions in take-home pay for three years would leave Australian workers tens of thousands of dollars worse off in retirement. 

The policy is another attempt to cut universal superannuation contributions by another name. Pauline Hanson has been clear about where she is heading. On 16 August, she called for an end to universal superannuation altogether.

Three weeks later, she is selling the same agenda that will result in a poorer, less dignified retirement for working people.

Temporary super schemes like this have already hurt workers financially. Under the Coalition’s COVID early release super scheme, around 3 million Australians withdrew $38 billion from their retirement savings. Super Members Council analysis found a 30-year-old who took out the maximum $20,000 will retire with roughly $93,600 less. 

One Nation also voted with the Coalition to freeze the legislated increase to the Superannuation Guarantee and voted against protecting penalty rates, making wage theft a crime, and rights for casual workers and gig workers. One Nation is on the record as wanting to take away protections for being unfairly sacked and voted against making industrial manslaughter a criminal offence.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Assistant Secretary, Joseph Mitchell:

“It’s typical that the only pay rise Pauline Hanson could imagine a worker deserving is one at the expense of their own retirement income. Forget robbing Peter to pay Paul, this is robbing Peter to pay Peter. 

“Workers would be tens of thousands of dollars poorer at retirement. That is a bad deal, and Australians saw exactly how it plays out when the Coalition sent 3 million people to raid their own super during the pandemic. 

“If Pauline Hanson wanted to help people with the cost of living, she could have backed minimum wage rises, penalty rates and safer workplaces that unions have fought for. She voted the other way every time. This is the next step in the same anti-worker agenda.

“Universal superannuation is what stops working people retiring into poverty. Working people love their super and unions will defend every bit of it.”