WOMEN IN SUper and COVID-19

During these unprecedented times, Women in Super is particularly concerned about the impact the pandemic will have on the financial security of many women who have found themselves out of work, with reduced working hours and/or isolated at home in precarious situations. Accessing super early is not just a $20,000 decision - it comes with long-term implications which need to be considered before a final decision is made.

Women's Legal Services Victoria have put together this brochure about everything you should know about early release of super
ISA have provided a good overview of the types of financial assistance available, including early release
AIST have also put together a good overview of the early release scheme

Scenario Models

As part of its response to the Coronavirus crises the Government has announced measures to enable members to access their super accounts. This comes at a cost. Part of that cost is the foregoing of future earnings on balances removed from superannuation accounts.

The following table shows the estimated impact on retirement balances where an account balance is reduced by $20,000.

Age	Starting balance	Super taken	Difference at retirement
25	$20,000	$20,000	-$120,511
30	$40,000	$20,000	-$97,214
35	$60,000	$20,000	-$78,420
40	$79,000	$20,000	-$63,260
45	$95,000	$20,000	-$51,030
50	$109,000	$20,000	-$41,165

Source: Industry Super Australia

The cost of early access to super is developed by relying on a number of assumptions. The modelling used is not a projector of expected superannuation balances at retirement and should not be used as such.

Policy Positions

A primary role of Women in Super (WIS) is advocating on issues relating to women and their superannuation. WIS is regularly invited to meet with political leaders, feature on policy roundtables and submit policy submissions to the government.

The credibility that WIS has as the thought leader in gender equality in super has been built from decades of advocacy work. It is a privilege to be a leader on the national stage and for WIS to be taken seriously as a strong voice, representing the best interests of all Australians, especially women.

Below are the current policy positions:

Past campaigns

Keep Super Fair

The Keep Super Fair campaign was created specifically to retain the Low Income Super Contribution (LISC). By galvanizing support from the super industry and general public, the Keep Super Fair campaign resulted in over 28,000 signatures and almost as many letters sent to MPs and Senators requesting their support. These efforts saw the LISC retained (renaming it to the LISTO – Low Income Super Tax Offset in the 2016 Budget).

This was a great win for Women in Super and highlighted the impact and influence that the network has nationally.

Research and Submissions

Women in Super participates in a range of research programs and undertakes a number of submissions annually on a on a wide range of topics including women, workforce participation, superannuation, tax changes and the Federal Budget.

The direction for our submissions and policy positions is developed and overseen by our Policy Committee and National Board of Directors.

To find out more about our research and recent submissions, click here.