The Federal Government has not gone far enough in beefing up unpaid superannuation laws, according to Industry Super Australia (ISA).
The industry funds organisation responded to the Government’s announcement of new legislation by claiming that while it is welcome, it misses a key opportunity to align compulsory superannuation payments with regulator wage cycles.
ISA public affairs director, Matt Linden said that while the Government’s legislative moves to enhance Australian Taxation Office (ATO) enforcement powers and utilise Single Touch Payroll were welcome, the changes needed to go much further.
“In not aligning compulsory superannuation payments with regular wage cycles, these laws fall seriously short of protecting worker interests,” he said. “A four-month delay from when a super entitlement appears on a payslip to when an employer has to pay it to an employees’ fund is at odds with our digital world.”
Linden said it was also time for the Government to reconsider the $450 per month super guarantee threshold.
“In the gig economy with increased casual work, the meagre threshold at which employees become eligible for super has reached its use-by-date,” he said.
In its pre-election policy document, the FSC highlighted 15 priority reforms, with superannuation featuring prominently, urging both major parties to avoid changing super taxes without a comprehensive tax review.
The Grattan Institute has labelled the Australian super system as “too complicated” and has proposed a three-pronged reform strategy to simplify superannuation in retirement.
Super funds delivered a strong 2024 result, with the median growth fund returning 11.4 per cent, driven by strong international sharemarket performance, new data has shown.
Australian Ethical has seen FUM growth of 27 per cent in the financial year to date.