Superannuation Legislation Amendment (Fair Super for Young Workers) Bill 2026

Senator BARBARA POCOCK (South Australia) (15:45): I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to table an explanatory memorandum relating to the bill. Leave granted.

Senator BARBARA POCOCK: I table an explanatory memorandum and I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— It's time to pay young workers the superannuation that they deserve.

The Greens stand with workers. We have secured huge wins for workers' rights, including the right to disconnect, the criminalisation of superannuation theft, and protections for workers' pay and conditions. Now we're taking action to make sure that young workers are paid the superannuation that they've earned.

Australia's superannuation system exists because generations of workers and unions fought for the simple proposition that people deserve dignity in retirement. It was built on the foundation of universality. But it's not universal.

For too long, Australia's superannuation system has failed young workers. Right now, most Australians under 18 miss out on superannuation, even when they're doing the same work as older employees. Currently, young workers only receive compulsory superannuation if they work more than 30 hours a week.

The vast majority of young workers—93%—do not work this much, mostly due to school and study commitments and the casual nature of youth employment. In practice, this means that hundreds of thousands of young Australians who are under the age of 18 miss out. Right now, 530,000 teenage workers are denied $411 million in superannuation every year, for no reason other than their age.

It means that young workers in cafes, supermarkets, retail stores, hospitality venues, construction sector and communities across our country miss out. They cover weekend shifts, late nights and public holidays. They pay tax.

Yet many of them are denied compulsory superannuation contributions simply because of their age. This Bill removes that unfair exclusion. There is strong public support for this change. 73% of Australians support changing the law, and only 7% oppose it.

This is an important reform. This Bill will ensure that all employees under the age of 18 are entitled to compulsory employer superannuation contributions, regardless of the number of hours they work. It removes the existing legislative exemption that allows regulations to exclude employees under 18 from superannuation guarantee coverage and repeals the associated regulatory provisions that currently deny superannuation to many young workers.

The initial rationale for excluding young workers doesn't stack up anymore. While there used to be legitimate concerns that fees and costs could quickly erode small super balances, recent reforms have ensured that even small balances are preserved and grow over time. Maintaining carve-outs of this kind undermines the integrity and fairness of the system.

It's a matter of fairness that all workers under the age of 18 should get superannuation, regardless of how many hours they work. Young workers are not immune from rising cost of living challenges. They are facing growing housing unaffordability, insecure employment, and costly education.

Young women in particular are disproportionately affected by this aged-based exclusion. Women retire with substantially less superannuation than men, and casual workers, part-time workers and workers in feminised industries also accumulate lower retirement savings. When we deny young workers superannuation, we reinforce inequalities that follow people throughout their working lives.

The consequence of the current exclusion extends far beyond a teenager's first pay packet. Superannuation works best when contributions start early. It's essential that young workers receive super on every dollar earned from the moment they start work.

Modelling shows that young workers could be $11,000 better off by retirement through the power of compound returns. This Bill is a strong response that has been sorely lacking from this Government. Right now, big corporations are effectively stealing from young workers to pump up their own profits.

This is not a rule supporting small business. It is a system that allows some of the most profitable employers in the country to deny young workers their basic entitlements. The question is no longer whether this rule is fair, but who is it working for.

Big corporations like Coles, Woolworths and McDonald's earn billions of dollars in profit and can afford to pay young workers super. They just don't want to. Companies like Coles, Woolworths, Kmart, Target, Chemist Warehouse, Hungry Jack's and McDonald's employ tens of thousands of teenagers, yet still refuse to pay super unless those workers meet outdated minimum-hours thresholds.

This isn't about whether big business can afford to pay super, it's about whether this Labor government is willing to make them. In summary, this Bill will support young workers by allowing them to get superannuation on every dollar earned. The Greens are proud to bring forward this Bill because we believe that Australia's superannuation system should include every worker.

If you are old enough to work, you are old enough to earn super. This discriminatory rule does not impact a marginal cohort, it's the typical experience of teenage workers. Labor had a chance to support young workers in the last sitting fortnight, but they teamed up with the anti-worker Coalition to defend this unfairly discriminatory provision.

While our push was unsuccessful, it built pressure on Labor to act. They amended their national party platform to explicitly support paying super on every dollar earned, including for workers under 18. I call on the Labor Government to follow its own policy platform and support this Bill.

I commend the Bill to the Senate. Senator BARBARA POCOCK: I seek leave to continue my remarks later. Leave granted; debate adjourned.