The reach of climate change encircles the world
Reach of climate change
Having grown up in London, I read with interest David Crowe's description of life there under climate change (' The heat is on in London and it's turned deadly ', 19/7).
They have many problems with out-of-date infrastructure like buses and housing. It is encouraging that much is being done overthere, like conserving water and using more appropriate species of plants.
My former home city is a case study in climate action and inaction. More could have been done sooner, but short-term political and financial interests often got priority. Now London has sweaty buses and hundreds of extra deaths in worsening heatwaves.
There is also inadequate action in Australia and elsewhere. The Age on Saturday carries other relevant stories, including of Victorian farmers helping each other after a severe drought, withextra farm costs pushing up prices of lamb and beef in our supermarkets.
Another article describes how the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is threatened by rising seas and coastal erosion. Many Tuvaluans want to migrate to Australia.
Impacts of the climate crisis will be relevant more and more in our news, and in our lives.
John Hughes, Mentone
Out-of-touch Liberals
The charmless and contrarian attitude of the Liberal Party is on full display with its claim that Anthony Albanese's trip to China is 'indulgent' (at least they didn't go so far as to call it a junket). It must really gall them that in a little over three years the relationship with China – our biggest trading partner by far and one with which we have a significant trade surplus – has so dramatically improved. But then it was Peter Dutton who said we must prepare for war, and although he didn't say it out loud, it seemed pretty obvious which country he was referring to. So I guess for them nothing has really changed, except that they have proven to be even more out of touch with what Australians want from their government.
Brandon Mack, Deepdene
Left behind
Columnist Jake Niall has only scratched the surface (″ A fix to AFL's flawed fixture ″, 18/7). For a ″fair″ competition to exist there is only one way this can happen. Like virtually all other national team sport competitions, each team plays each other team twice, once at home and once away. In this respect the AFL is a national disaster, and the AFL should have been working towards something like this when it first formed decades ago. Increasingly it is moving further and further away.
This dimension of unfairness within the competition (there are many others eg, variations in the interpretation of rules between and within umpires) is why I have no interest in the game now. It is so unfair.
Ian Anderson, Maldon
Not wild about this AFL
Wildcard rounds exist in US professional sports as part of, or entry to, the competition's final series. Many of these competitions are split into conferences, and then divisions, with division winners typically gaining automatic entry to the finals. However, you can have the situation where the runner-up in one division has a superior record to the winner of another division. Wildcard games give well-performed teams who did not win their division a chance to play in the finals.
The AFL sports media has been constantly raising a proposed extension of the current finals system by a week, with 7th playing 10th, and 8th playing 9th, prior to the regular finals and persist in calling this a ″wildcard″ round. There is nothing wild about it, it's just another week of finals in a competition without conferences.
Pedantry aside, extending the AFL finals series to 10th would reward inferior teams. In the past 10 years, only two teams finishing 10th have won more than 50 per cent of their games – Fremantle last year (12 wins and a draw) and Geelong in 2015 (12 wins). In the same period, four teams finished 10th winning fewer than half of their games. Do we really want teams with a losing record to be playing finals?
Mark Southby, Oakleigh
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7NEWS
22 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
HECS and childcare Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's first order of business as parliament returns
Through church services, smoking ceremonies and ceremonial dragging of MPs, the 48th federal parliament has been opened in a flurry of pomp and ceremony. Veteran MPs and fresh-faced senators gathered in Canberra on Tuesday for the formal opening of parliament before official business could get under way. The day began with an ecumenical service at a Wesley Uniting Church, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promising to get down to business quickly. 'Every day is an opportunity to deliver for Australians and this week we will have legislation to do that,' he told reporters outside the church. 'We'll continue to work hard each and every day in the interest of Australians.' Albanese will command a large majority in his second term as leader, with Labor holding 94 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives. The size of the majority was on display on the floor of parliament for the first time since the election, with Labor MPs now sitting on both sides of the aisle in the lower house. Across the chamber, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley will preside over just 43 lower-house MPs after an election wipeout for the coalition. 'We got smashed at the last election and the number of seats that we now hold is a demonstration that we are at a low point,' Ley said. 'But we're here to work hard, we're here to put the interests of the Australian people that we come here to represent front and centre. 'And we know that aspiration connects every single threat of Australian society.' After a ceremonial Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony on the forecourt of Parliament House, MPs and senators were one-by-one sworn in at their respective chambers. Business soon turned to the election of a speaker for the House of Representatives. Labor MP Milton Dick was re-elected to the role with bipartisan support before he was ceremonially dragged to the speaker's chair by MPs. The prime minister said Dick would continue to conduct the role with 'fairness, with humour and with intellect'. The returning speaker said it was a 'profound honour' to carry on in the position. 'My view is the role of speaker is not one of partisanship, but of stewardship, and it's my solemn responsibility to ensure that democracy is not only practiced here, but it's strengthened here,' Dick said. In the Senate, Sue Lines was re-elected as president of the chamber, but not before One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's surprise nomination of political rival David Pocock for the position. The independent ACT senator declined the nomination. Later, Governor-General Sam Mostyn will deliver a speech in the Senate outlining the priorities of the term, followed by a ceremonial 19-gun salute. Legislation due to be introduced in the first week of parliament includes a 20 per cent reduction in HECS debt for university students, penalty rate protections and increased safety measures at childcare centres. The coalition is still reviewing many of the policies it took to the election, but the opposition has flagged it is likely to support the student debt reduction measures, along with childcare protection laws. The Greens, who hold the balance of power in the upper house, are set to introduce a private senators bill to reform Australia's main environment laws. Labor's main policies The Albanese government will look to implement a long list of promises it made at the election when parliament resumes. COST OF LIVING: $1,000 tax deductions from 2026-27 for work-related expenses. Cap prescription medication at $25 and $7.70 for concession cardholders. HOUSING: Five per cent deposits and 100,000 new homes for first-home buyers. Electricity bill rebates of $75 per household for the final quarters of 2025. HEALTH: $8.5 billion over four years for Medicare to expand bulk-billing and create 50 extra urgent care clinics. Free mental health services, new training facilities for professionals, upgrading mental health centres and improvements to mental health organisation Headspace. GENDER: $573 million in funding for women's health, including spending on long-term contraceptives and expanding endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics. Men's mental health support measures, which will include training for primary health care workers and support programs. CHILDCARE: Three days of subsidised child care for every family. A $1 billion fund to build new childcare centres. EDUCATION: 20 per cent off HECS debt for university students and graduates. 100,000 fee-free TAFE placements. DEFENCE: Grow defence spending by $50.3 billion over the next decade, expanding spending from 2 per cent of GDP to 2.33 per cent by 2033/34.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Our gambling problem is infuriating and depressing. Here's how we can change the game
Federal Parliament sits for the first time this week after Labor's stunning electoral success, and with it comes a mandate for brave policy action. The first sitting closely follows the second anniversary of the release of the landmark Murphy Report into online gambling, a blueprint to take Australia from the world's biggest gambling losers to dramatically reduce gambling harm across our community. In those two years, there has been a depressing silence. The government has not even officially responded to the report despite promises that it would honour the legacy of the late Peta Murphy, the Labor MP who headed the parliamentary inquiry and who lost her life to cancer. Yet rather than being depressed, I am optimistic that the re-elected Albanese government will find a pathway forward to introduce real and lasting gambling reform. The reasons for my optimism exist both within the parliament and the government itself as well as out in the community. Firstly, within the government, courageous MPs are pushing the government to act on gambling reform - the key lightning rod for action is the recommendation for a ban on all gambling ads, phased in over three years. There are also many MPs across the Parliament - both new and re-elected - that are determined to fight for change. The new Communications Minister, Anika Wells, who negotiated the implementation of the royal commission recommendations into aged care to a large and diverse sector is also a factor. I believe she will be given a mandate to negotiate new changes that would at the very least see the partial implementation of the 31 recommendations of the Murphy inquiry report. An excellent start would be to implement a ban on inducements. When you try to give up gambling, betting agencies will reach out to you and offer you free bets or free tickets to the footy. The fact is betting agencies don't want customers who win when they bet, but they are hell-bent on keeping you if you are losing. Also, a strong ban on online gambling adverts would be another great starting point. Australians are assailed by 1 million gambling ads a year. Murphy's report recommended a phased shift to a total gambling ad ban. This could start with further restrictions on free-to-air TV advertising to ensure gambling ads are not viewed in general viewing times when popular programs such as MasterChef or Lego Masters are aired. It's a nonsense to think children only watch TV in the designated "child viewing times" before 8.30pm - when gambling ads are banned. And there is a strong case to start moving towards a national strategy that treats gambling as a health issue and a national gambling regulator - as the states and territories have repeatedly proven to be unable or unwilling to rein in the powerful and predatory betting agencies. Since the last parliament sat, a stream of significant research and polls makes a powerful case for change. And this is my second reason for optimism. Polling from The Australian Institute shows that 85 per cent of Australians want greater restrictions on gambling advertising and 76 per cent want all gambling ads banned. A key factor driving this is the fact our kids are being both overtly and covertly groomed by the gambling companies to bet. And research now shows that 600,000 kids - aged 12-17 - gambled a total of 18 million last year. This is a mind-boggling statistic that should provoke action. Other research has shown kids as young as 14 are being targeted on their social media feeds to download gambling apps. Parents I meet are furious that their kids are being targeted on social media by betting agencies and that they are being exposed to endless gambling ads because the two football codes, especially, have sold their souls to the bookmakers. The rate of sports betting is skyrocketing in Australia - it is growing at a rate of 40 per cent a year compared to growth in poker machines at 6 per cent. And it is particularly young men that are being drawn in. Roy Morgan research shows that 18-24 year olds are the most prevalent age segment to be betting on sports. And of those already, one in five have a gambling problem. The AFL itself has a growing crisis due to its embrace of gambling. A survey of player agents has revealed more than 76 per cent cite gambling among footballers as a grave concern. The Victorian government recently released figures (they are the only state to do so) on the social cost of gambling. It showed Victorians lost over $7 billion to gambling every year and the state government reaped $2.2 billion a year in revenue but the social cost (bankruptcy, marriage break-up, domestic violence etc.) totalled a whopping $14 billion. When you think Australians lose $32 billion to gambling every year, that social cost extrapolated nationally would skyrocket to an eye-watering $60 billion. It's time it became equally clear to our government. Federal Parliament sits for the first time this week after Labor's stunning electoral success, and with it comes a mandate for brave policy action. The first sitting closely follows the second anniversary of the release of the landmark Murphy Report into online gambling, a blueprint to take Australia from the world's biggest gambling losers to dramatically reduce gambling harm across our community. In those two years, there has been a depressing silence. The government has not even officially responded to the report despite promises that it would honour the legacy of the late Peta Murphy, the Labor MP who headed the parliamentary inquiry and who lost her life to cancer. Yet rather than being depressed, I am optimistic that the re-elected Albanese government will find a pathway forward to introduce real and lasting gambling reform. The reasons for my optimism exist both within the parliament and the government itself as well as out in the community. Firstly, within the government, courageous MPs are pushing the government to act on gambling reform - the key lightning rod for action is the recommendation for a ban on all gambling ads, phased in over three years. There are also many MPs across the Parliament - both new and re-elected - that are determined to fight for change. The new Communications Minister, Anika Wells, who negotiated the implementation of the royal commission recommendations into aged care to a large and diverse sector is also a factor. I believe she will be given a mandate to negotiate new changes that would at the very least see the partial implementation of the 31 recommendations of the Murphy inquiry report. An excellent start would be to implement a ban on inducements. When you try to give up gambling, betting agencies will reach out to you and offer you free bets or free tickets to the footy. The fact is betting agencies don't want customers who win when they bet, but they are hell-bent on keeping you if you are losing. Also, a strong ban on online gambling adverts would be another great starting point. Australians are assailed by 1 million gambling ads a year. Murphy's report recommended a phased shift to a total gambling ad ban. This could start with further restrictions on free-to-air TV advertising to ensure gambling ads are not viewed in general viewing times when popular programs such as MasterChef or Lego Masters are aired. It's a nonsense to think children only watch TV in the designated "child viewing times" before 8.30pm - when gambling ads are banned. And there is a strong case to start moving towards a national strategy that treats gambling as a health issue and a national gambling regulator - as the states and territories have repeatedly proven to be unable or unwilling to rein in the powerful and predatory betting agencies. Since the last parliament sat, a stream of significant research and polls makes a powerful case for change. And this is my second reason for optimism. Polling from The Australian Institute shows that 85 per cent of Australians want greater restrictions on gambling advertising and 76 per cent want all gambling ads banned. A key factor driving this is the fact our kids are being both overtly and covertly groomed by the gambling companies to bet. And research now shows that 600,000 kids - aged 12-17 - gambled a total of 18 million last year. This is a mind-boggling statistic that should provoke action. Other research has shown kids as young as 14 are being targeted on their social media feeds to download gambling apps. Parents I meet are furious that their kids are being targeted on social media by betting agencies and that they are being exposed to endless gambling ads because the two football codes, especially, have sold their souls to the bookmakers. The rate of sports betting is skyrocketing in Australia - it is growing at a rate of 40 per cent a year compared to growth in poker machines at 6 per cent. And it is particularly young men that are being drawn in. Roy Morgan research shows that 18-24 year olds are the most prevalent age segment to be betting on sports. And of those already, one in five have a gambling problem. The AFL itself has a growing crisis due to its embrace of gambling. A survey of player agents has revealed more than 76 per cent cite gambling among footballers as a grave concern. The Victorian government recently released figures (they are the only state to do so) on the social cost of gambling. It showed Victorians lost over $7 billion to gambling every year and the state government reaped $2.2 billion a year in revenue but the social cost (bankruptcy, marriage break-up, domestic violence etc.) totalled a whopping $14 billion. When you think Australians lose $32 billion to gambling every year, that social cost extrapolated nationally would skyrocket to an eye-watering $60 billion. It's time it became equally clear to our government. Federal Parliament sits for the first time this week after Labor's stunning electoral success, and with it comes a mandate for brave policy action. The first sitting closely follows the second anniversary of the release of the landmark Murphy Report into online gambling, a blueprint to take Australia from the world's biggest gambling losers to dramatically reduce gambling harm across our community. In those two years, there has been a depressing silence. The government has not even officially responded to the report despite promises that it would honour the legacy of the late Peta Murphy, the Labor MP who headed the parliamentary inquiry and who lost her life to cancer. Yet rather than being depressed, I am optimistic that the re-elected Albanese government will find a pathway forward to introduce real and lasting gambling reform. The reasons for my optimism exist both within the parliament and the government itself as well as out in the community. Firstly, within the government, courageous MPs are pushing the government to act on gambling reform - the key lightning rod for action is the recommendation for a ban on all gambling ads, phased in over three years. There are also many MPs across the Parliament - both new and re-elected - that are determined to fight for change. The new Communications Minister, Anika Wells, who negotiated the implementation of the royal commission recommendations into aged care to a large and diverse sector is also a factor. I believe she will be given a mandate to negotiate new changes that would at the very least see the partial implementation of the 31 recommendations of the Murphy inquiry report. An excellent start would be to implement a ban on inducements. When you try to give up gambling, betting agencies will reach out to you and offer you free bets or free tickets to the footy. The fact is betting agencies don't want customers who win when they bet, but they are hell-bent on keeping you if you are losing. Also, a strong ban on online gambling adverts would be another great starting point. Australians are assailed by 1 million gambling ads a year. Murphy's report recommended a phased shift to a total gambling ad ban. This could start with further restrictions on free-to-air TV advertising to ensure gambling ads are not viewed in general viewing times when popular programs such as MasterChef or Lego Masters are aired. It's a nonsense to think children only watch TV in the designated "child viewing times" before 8.30pm - when gambling ads are banned. And there is a strong case to start moving towards a national strategy that treats gambling as a health issue and a national gambling regulator - as the states and territories have repeatedly proven to be unable or unwilling to rein in the powerful and predatory betting agencies. Since the last parliament sat, a stream of significant research and polls makes a powerful case for change. And this is my second reason for optimism. Polling from The Australian Institute shows that 85 per cent of Australians want greater restrictions on gambling advertising and 76 per cent want all gambling ads banned. A key factor driving this is the fact our kids are being both overtly and covertly groomed by the gambling companies to bet. And research now shows that 600,000 kids - aged 12-17 - gambled a total of 18 million last year. This is a mind-boggling statistic that should provoke action. Other research has shown kids as young as 14 are being targeted on their social media feeds to download gambling apps. Parents I meet are furious that their kids are being targeted on social media by betting agencies and that they are being exposed to endless gambling ads because the two football codes, especially, have sold their souls to the bookmakers. The rate of sports betting is skyrocketing in Australia - it is growing at a rate of 40 per cent a year compared to growth in poker machines at 6 per cent. And it is particularly young men that are being drawn in. Roy Morgan research shows that 18-24 year olds are the most prevalent age segment to be betting on sports. And of those already, one in five have a gambling problem. The AFL itself has a growing crisis due to its embrace of gambling. A survey of player agents has revealed more than 76 per cent cite gambling among footballers as a grave concern. The Victorian government recently released figures (they are the only state to do so) on the social cost of gambling. It showed Victorians lost over $7 billion to gambling every year and the state government reaped $2.2 billion a year in revenue but the social cost (bankruptcy, marriage break-up, domestic violence etc.) totalled a whopping $14 billion. When you think Australians lose $32 billion to gambling every year, that social cost extrapolated nationally would skyrocket to an eye-watering $60 billion. It's time it became equally clear to our government. Federal Parliament sits for the first time this week after Labor's stunning electoral success, and with it comes a mandate for brave policy action. The first sitting closely follows the second anniversary of the release of the landmark Murphy Report into online gambling, a blueprint to take Australia from the world's biggest gambling losers to dramatically reduce gambling harm across our community. In those two years, there has been a depressing silence. The government has not even officially responded to the report despite promises that it would honour the legacy of the late Peta Murphy, the Labor MP who headed the parliamentary inquiry and who lost her life to cancer. Yet rather than being depressed, I am optimistic that the re-elected Albanese government will find a pathway forward to introduce real and lasting gambling reform. The reasons for my optimism exist both within the parliament and the government itself as well as out in the community. Firstly, within the government, courageous MPs are pushing the government to act on gambling reform - the key lightning rod for action is the recommendation for a ban on all gambling ads, phased in over three years. There are also many MPs across the Parliament - both new and re-elected - that are determined to fight for change. The new Communications Minister, Anika Wells, who negotiated the implementation of the royal commission recommendations into aged care to a large and diverse sector is also a factor. I believe she will be given a mandate to negotiate new changes that would at the very least see the partial implementation of the 31 recommendations of the Murphy inquiry report. An excellent start would be to implement a ban on inducements. When you try to give up gambling, betting agencies will reach out to you and offer you free bets or free tickets to the footy. The fact is betting agencies don't want customers who win when they bet, but they are hell-bent on keeping you if you are losing. Also, a strong ban on online gambling adverts would be another great starting point. Australians are assailed by 1 million gambling ads a year. Murphy's report recommended a phased shift to a total gambling ad ban. This could start with further restrictions on free-to-air TV advertising to ensure gambling ads are not viewed in general viewing times when popular programs such as MasterChef or Lego Masters are aired. It's a nonsense to think children only watch TV in the designated "child viewing times" before 8.30pm - when gambling ads are banned. And there is a strong case to start moving towards a national strategy that treats gambling as a health issue and a national gambling regulator - as the states and territories have repeatedly proven to be unable or unwilling to rein in the powerful and predatory betting agencies. Since the last parliament sat, a stream of significant research and polls makes a powerful case for change. And this is my second reason for optimism. Polling from The Australian Institute shows that 85 per cent of Australians want greater restrictions on gambling advertising and 76 per cent want all gambling ads banned. A key factor driving this is the fact our kids are being both overtly and covertly groomed by the gambling companies to bet. And research now shows that 600,000 kids - aged 12-17 - gambled a total of 18 million last year. This is a mind-boggling statistic that should provoke action. Other research has shown kids as young as 14 are being targeted on their social media feeds to download gambling apps. Parents I meet are furious that their kids are being targeted on social media by betting agencies and that they are being exposed to endless gambling ads because the two football codes, especially, have sold their souls to the bookmakers. The rate of sports betting is skyrocketing in Australia - it is growing at a rate of 40 per cent a year compared to growth in poker machines at 6 per cent. And it is particularly young men that are being drawn in. Roy Morgan research shows that 18-24 year olds are the most prevalent age segment to be betting on sports. And of those already, one in five have a gambling problem. The AFL itself has a growing crisis due to its embrace of gambling. A survey of player agents has revealed more than 76 per cent cite gambling among footballers as a grave concern. The Victorian government recently released figures (they are the only state to do so) on the social cost of gambling. It showed Victorians lost over $7 billion to gambling every year and the state government reaped $2.2 billion a year in revenue but the social cost (bankruptcy, marriage break-up, domestic violence etc.) totalled a whopping $14 billion. When you think Australians lose $32 billion to gambling every year, that social cost extrapolated nationally would skyrocket to an eye-watering $60 billion. It's time it became equally clear to our government.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
How we can stop people getting ripped off from employers
When Coco* asked her former boss why she hadn't been paid her super, she was told "not to worry, it's paid quarterly". But as time went by, and with red flags flying ominously, she felt helpless. Despite months of enquiries and reassurances that payment would come, her worst fears were realised when her employer went into liquidation. This left her and colleagues without thousands of dollars in super payments they had earned and were legally owed. Almost every week we hear similar stories to Coco's. Many follow a similar pattern, where a lack of awareness and assumed trust, combined with an out-of-date obligation on employers to only pay super every three months, allows unpaid super to flourish. Analysis by the Super Members Council of unpaid super in Australia shows around 3.3 million people miss out on $5.7 billion a year in retirement savings. That's $110 million a week going unpaid. Over nine years, that has, cost Australians a shocking $47 billion. The average affected worker misses out on $1730 in super in a year. Women, people in insecure jobs, and young workers are most at risk. This adds up - making workers up to $30,000 worse off at retirement. While these numbers are bleak, there is a solution. One that will create a more simplified system for workers and employers than the current legal requirement for super to be paid only once a quarter, while protecting the retirement savings of millions of Australians. Many businesses already do this. Payday super laws - which will see super paid at the same time as wages, making it easier for workers to monitor payments and levelling the playing field for employers, are due to come into effect on July 1, 2026. But legislation to make this happen still needs to be passed by Parliament. While there have been recent calls by one or two voices to delay the reforms, each week they are delayed, one quarter of Australia's workforce is a combined $110 million poorer. And that means less money to pay the bills in retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Australians cannot afford to wait a day longer. To smooth the transition for employers, we've proposed a couple of practical ideas to help. These include having super land in workers accounts within seven business days of paydays. We've also proposed a phased approach to ATO enforcement in the early stages to give comfort to employers genuinely trying to do the right thing. Finally, we've called for employers to be able to validate a worker's correct super account details in real time to help eliminate processing errors when super is paid. Each of these will help to secure this crucial reform. Implementing the laws as planned next year has strong community support. A new survey for the Super Members Council finds more than 70 per cent of Australians want these laws to start on July 1, 2026. Fewer than one in 10 people think the reforms should be delayed. We have a sensible timeline and public goodwill to implement these historic laws. And what a powerful legacy they will be for the government and the Parliament. All that's missing now is a sense of urgency to pass the legislation, so millions of Australians don't live a story like Coco's. So, let's get on with it - and get them paid. When Coco* asked her former boss why she hadn't been paid her super, she was told "not to worry, it's paid quarterly". But as time went by, and with red flags flying ominously, she felt helpless. Despite months of enquiries and reassurances that payment would come, her worst fears were realised when her employer went into liquidation. This left her and colleagues without thousands of dollars in super payments they had earned and were legally owed. Almost every week we hear similar stories to Coco's. Many follow a similar pattern, where a lack of awareness and assumed trust, combined with an out-of-date obligation on employers to only pay super every three months, allows unpaid super to flourish. Analysis by the Super Members Council of unpaid super in Australia shows around 3.3 million people miss out on $5.7 billion a year in retirement savings. That's $110 million a week going unpaid. Over nine years, that has, cost Australians a shocking $47 billion. The average affected worker misses out on $1730 in super in a year. Women, people in insecure jobs, and young workers are most at risk. This adds up - making workers up to $30,000 worse off at retirement. While these numbers are bleak, there is a solution. One that will create a more simplified system for workers and employers than the current legal requirement for super to be paid only once a quarter, while protecting the retirement savings of millions of Australians. Many businesses already do this. Payday super laws - which will see super paid at the same time as wages, making it easier for workers to monitor payments and levelling the playing field for employers, are due to come into effect on July 1, 2026. But legislation to make this happen still needs to be passed by Parliament. While there have been recent calls by one or two voices to delay the reforms, each week they are delayed, one quarter of Australia's workforce is a combined $110 million poorer. And that means less money to pay the bills in retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Australians cannot afford to wait a day longer. To smooth the transition for employers, we've proposed a couple of practical ideas to help. These include having super land in workers accounts within seven business days of paydays. We've also proposed a phased approach to ATO enforcement in the early stages to give comfort to employers genuinely trying to do the right thing. Finally, we've called for employers to be able to validate a worker's correct super account details in real time to help eliminate processing errors when super is paid. Each of these will help to secure this crucial reform. Implementing the laws as planned next year has strong community support. A new survey for the Super Members Council finds more than 70 per cent of Australians want these laws to start on July 1, 2026. Fewer than one in 10 people think the reforms should be delayed. We have a sensible timeline and public goodwill to implement these historic laws. And what a powerful legacy they will be for the government and the Parliament. All that's missing now is a sense of urgency to pass the legislation, so millions of Australians don't live a story like Coco's. So, let's get on with it - and get them paid. When Coco* asked her former boss why she hadn't been paid her super, she was told "not to worry, it's paid quarterly". But as time went by, and with red flags flying ominously, she felt helpless. Despite months of enquiries and reassurances that payment would come, her worst fears were realised when her employer went into liquidation. This left her and colleagues without thousands of dollars in super payments they had earned and were legally owed. Almost every week we hear similar stories to Coco's. Many follow a similar pattern, where a lack of awareness and assumed trust, combined with an out-of-date obligation on employers to only pay super every three months, allows unpaid super to flourish. Analysis by the Super Members Council of unpaid super in Australia shows around 3.3 million people miss out on $5.7 billion a year in retirement savings. That's $110 million a week going unpaid. Over nine years, that has, cost Australians a shocking $47 billion. The average affected worker misses out on $1730 in super in a year. Women, people in insecure jobs, and young workers are most at risk. This adds up - making workers up to $30,000 worse off at retirement. While these numbers are bleak, there is a solution. One that will create a more simplified system for workers and employers than the current legal requirement for super to be paid only once a quarter, while protecting the retirement savings of millions of Australians. Many businesses already do this. Payday super laws - which will see super paid at the same time as wages, making it easier for workers to monitor payments and levelling the playing field for employers, are due to come into effect on July 1, 2026. But legislation to make this happen still needs to be passed by Parliament. While there have been recent calls by one or two voices to delay the reforms, each week they are delayed, one quarter of Australia's workforce is a combined $110 million poorer. And that means less money to pay the bills in retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Australians cannot afford to wait a day longer. To smooth the transition for employers, we've proposed a couple of practical ideas to help. These include having super land in workers accounts within seven business days of paydays. We've also proposed a phased approach to ATO enforcement in the early stages to give comfort to employers genuinely trying to do the right thing. Finally, we've called for employers to be able to validate a worker's correct super account details in real time to help eliminate processing errors when super is paid. Each of these will help to secure this crucial reform. Implementing the laws as planned next year has strong community support. A new survey for the Super Members Council finds more than 70 per cent of Australians want these laws to start on July 1, 2026. Fewer than one in 10 people think the reforms should be delayed. We have a sensible timeline and public goodwill to implement these historic laws. And what a powerful legacy they will be for the government and the Parliament. All that's missing now is a sense of urgency to pass the legislation, so millions of Australians don't live a story like Coco's. So, let's get on with it - and get them paid. When Coco* asked her former boss why she hadn't been paid her super, she was told "not to worry, it's paid quarterly". But as time went by, and with red flags flying ominously, she felt helpless. Despite months of enquiries and reassurances that payment would come, her worst fears were realised when her employer went into liquidation. This left her and colleagues without thousands of dollars in super payments they had earned and were legally owed. Almost every week we hear similar stories to Coco's. Many follow a similar pattern, where a lack of awareness and assumed trust, combined with an out-of-date obligation on employers to only pay super every three months, allows unpaid super to flourish. Analysis by the Super Members Council of unpaid super in Australia shows around 3.3 million people miss out on $5.7 billion a year in retirement savings. That's $110 million a week going unpaid. Over nine years, that has, cost Australians a shocking $47 billion. The average affected worker misses out on $1730 in super in a year. Women, people in insecure jobs, and young workers are most at risk. This adds up - making workers up to $30,000 worse off at retirement. While these numbers are bleak, there is a solution. One that will create a more simplified system for workers and employers than the current legal requirement for super to be paid only once a quarter, while protecting the retirement savings of millions of Australians. Many businesses already do this. Payday super laws - which will see super paid at the same time as wages, making it easier for workers to monitor payments and levelling the playing field for employers, are due to come into effect on July 1, 2026. But legislation to make this happen still needs to be passed by Parliament. While there have been recent calls by one or two voices to delay the reforms, each week they are delayed, one quarter of Australia's workforce is a combined $110 million poorer. And that means less money to pay the bills in retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Australians cannot afford to wait a day longer. To smooth the transition for employers, we've proposed a couple of practical ideas to help. These include having super land in workers accounts within seven business days of paydays. We've also proposed a phased approach to ATO enforcement in the early stages to give comfort to employers genuinely trying to do the right thing. Finally, we've called for employers to be able to validate a worker's correct super account details in real time to help eliminate processing errors when super is paid. Each of these will help to secure this crucial reform. Implementing the laws as planned next year has strong community support. A new survey for the Super Members Council finds more than 70 per cent of Australians want these laws to start on July 1, 2026. Fewer than one in 10 people think the reforms should be delayed. We have a sensible timeline and public goodwill to implement these historic laws. And what a powerful legacy they will be for the government and the Parliament. All that's missing now is a sense of urgency to pass the legislation, so millions of Australians don't live a story like Coco's. So, let's get on with it - and get them paid.
