Millions of everyday Australians value their world-class super system and take a dim view of any politicians seeking to undermine it.
Australians value super because they can see it working. They watch their super balances and retirement incomes growing. They know it delivers life-changing retirement savings for their future.
“Australians love their super – and retirees especially love their super,” said Super Members Council CEO Misha Schubert.
“Their clear message to all politicians is this: don’t stuff up our super.”
Recent surveys of everyday Australians show:
- 78% of Australians say super will be critical to funding their wellbeing in retirement (Pyxis, May 2026).
- 84% of Australians do not support letting people withdraw their super whenever they want (Pyxis, May 2026).
- 88% of older Australians are concerned about early access policies, saying super should be preserved for retirement (National Seniors Australia, July 2025).
- 76% of older Australians say they would not have saved enough without compulsory super (National Seniors Australia, July 2025).
The secret to super’s success is simple fundamentals: it’s compulsory, universal, preserved, and favourably taxed.
That’s why Australia's retirement system is the envy of the world. And it’s why super has driven significant growth in wealth for middle Australia, with wealth beyond the family home having risen 196% in wage-adjusted terms over the last 20 years (2002-2022).
Any move to dismantle compulsory super would make Australians poorer, push more people onto the Age Pension, and saddle future generations with a bigger tax bill.
A 30-year-old who withdrew $20,000 from their super today would retire with around $93,000 less because of lost compound investment returns.
Australians would also pay more tax if politicians seek to weaken early release settings. Any money taken out of super early would be taxed at standard income tax rates, not at the concessional tax rate of 15% on super for most people.
Breaking open super would also force Australian super funds to invest differently due to shorter investment timeframes. That would damage the long-term returns for all Australians with super – meaning Australians who keep their super intact would have up to $246,200 less at retirement.
And more Australians would end up relying on the Age Pension, adding an estimated $75 billion to $85 billion in extra costs to taxpayers.
Australia is one of the few countries in the world where Age Pension costs are falling as a share of the economy. Weakening compulsory super would reverse decades of progress.
Australians built this system to deliver all working Australians dignity in retirement.
Politicians should not adopt policies that would tear it down.
About us:
The opinions above are those of the author in their capacity as spokesperson for Super Members Council of Australia (SMC). SMC, the authors and all other persons involved in the preparation of this information are thereby not giving legal, financial or professional advice for individual persons or organisations.
Contact details:
Matt Read, 0432 130 338, [email protected]
