The Morrison Government’s new Treasury Laws Amendment (Measures No.4) Bill 2018 will do nothing to end systemic theft of superannuation or improve recovery mechanisms for working people.
We need a systemic response to a systemic problem, and to completely change the way that working people go about claiming back unpaid super – ensuring that everyone has access to an affordable, effective and efficient system.
This bill, and the Morrison Government’s continuing commitment to an amnesty on super theft reaching back to the dawn of the universal superannuation system shows that they have no desire to help working people and are entirely invested in finding the best possible solution for big business.
Quotes attributable to ACTU Assistant Secretary Scott Connolly:
“Super should be paid to all workers on every dollar they earn, to the lowest paid casual workers and to workers on parental leave. Companies who steal from workers should be held fully accountable.
“Super theft is systemic and has gone entirely unchecked by the Abbott/Turnbull/Morrison Government. Now that they are being dragged, kicking and screaming, to action on super theft they are attempting to do the bare minimum and protect the interests of the businesses which have been engaging in this criminal activity.
“Superannuation is an industrial right and workers should be able to deal with theft within the industrial relations system.
“We need systemic change to deal with this issue. We need new enforcement mechanisms, better access for unions to check pay slips and ensure that businesses are doing the right thing, simple procedures for people who need to claim money back, and impose real penalties on employers.”
