Juliana ADDISON (Wendouree) (15:35): I am delighted to be on my feet today to talk about superannuation and about a range of issues, and I am speaking in support of the Superannuation Legislation Amendment Bill 2025.

I have been in the Speaker’s chair for much of this debate. I listened to the contribution of the opposition spokesperson, which was 30 minutes very much on topic, very much understanding the shadow portfolio role she has and going through that for 30 minutes. It was terrific to see such an on-point, relevant contribution from the member for Evelyn, and I commend her for that. I listened really hard, and she is across the issues. I want to talk about the issues as well, because they are very important.

This is about amending and improving the legislation underpinning the public sector superannuation scheme ESSSuper, as we have heard – I did not know it is called ESSSuper before this debate started; I was going to say E-triple-S super, but it is ESSSuper. We have mentioned it a number of times, but $37 billion of workers’ money is in ESSSuper – it is really, really significant – whether that is in their defined benefit or accumulation net assets.

Members of ESSSuper are retired or active members of the public service, which we are eternally grateful for. They have more than 120,000 members, and these members really are essential service people in our community. Some of the greatest Victorians are ESSSuper members. They really are the best of us – it could be called the best super because it is such good people that they represent. They are our police, they are our firefighters, they are our paramedics, our government school teachers and staff. Members of ESSS include employees from state and Commonwealth agencies, including from Metro Trains, Yarra Trams, Parks Victoria, the court service and V/Line, who started before 1994. ESSSuper is an agency of the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance. I would like to thank the Minister for Finance, his ministerial office and the Department of Treasury and Finance for the work that they have put into this bill and its policies.

I also note department stakeholder consultation has occurred with our emergency services unions. I am proud to be a union member. I am a member of the Independent Education Union as well as the Australian Services Union. I think I am the only person who was an elected member of the Australian Workers Union, and I could not be prouder of having been an elected union official in my career. It was one of the greatest honours – it is up there with being elected to this place. Being elected by the members you represent, them saying that they want you – because that is what democratic unions do, right? They give members who pay their wages, who are the lifeblood of the union – they choose who represents them, and I am really proud to say that I was an elected union official for steelworkers. That is something that I wear as a badge of honour.

This idea that unions are not democratic is not true, and the idea that unions do not work in the best interests of their members every single day is not true either. When we are talking about representation on boards, unions are going to be putting people up who are in the best interests of their members’ money, because it is their jobs. When I was a union official I fought every day for my members, and now as a proud rank-and-file member of the ASU and the IEU, I expect the exact same thing from my elected officials. I really do want to talk a lot about super because that is what this is about. We have talked a lot about unions today, and I thought that I really wanted to put my 5 cents in about why I think unions are really important.

We have also consulted with employers and ESSSuper on the 90 per cent superable salary policy, with ESSSuper leading further consultation for other policies within this bill. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in this process for your contributions in shaping these improvements. We all know how important super is, particularly as you get older, and it has become much more significant. I must admit, my interest in my super balance has increased since my milestone birthday. I have got my AustralianSuper app on my phone, which I might check daily – which is probably not very good, given the ups and downs since Trump’s tariff stuff. It has certainly turned me a bit grey recently.

But it is our Labor government that stands with workers, and this includes supporting mechanisms that lead them to have a financially secure post-work life and ensure that they have a comfortable retirement. Australian workers deserve that; they deserve dignity in retirement. I am super proud that super is a Labor initiative – super proud of super. It was Paul Keating, my beloved PJK, who introduced compulsory superannuation. He introduced the superannuation guarantee charge, ensuring employers contributed to their employees’ retirement savings, and it was the Keating Labor government that also passed legislation to support the new system in 1992.

I am a great beneficiary of that. I was in year 12 in 1992. I turned 18 in 1992. I am just bragging now, Steve McGhie. Whilst I welcome the contributions from the member for Murray Plains and also the member for Narracan about how great they think it is, let me just remind people that the Liberal and National parties opposed the creation of super – I may have only been 18, but I remember it – and they have opposed every increase in compulsory superannuation contribution legislation by Labor governments – every single one.

I am really glad we have had a road-to-Damascus moment from the member for Murray Plains. That lifts me up; it is just great – old dog, new tricks. ‘Superannuation is fantastic’ – well done, I am glad you are on board. But let me be really, really clear that the Liberal–Nationals have opposed this at every opportunity, and we remember. We have long memories. You think we do not remember, but we remember. That is why we will always defend super, and workers know that we are on their side.

ESSSuper is the trading name for Emergency Services and State Super, a Victorian government agency for various public employees who have provided essential services to the Victorian community. The fund that ESSSuper administers includes defined benefits, which provide members with security into their retirement.

The bill today makes largely administrative changes to the act governing ESSSuper to ensure that it can continue to best serve its members and remain responsive to their needs. The proposed changes include formalising the current 90 per cent superable salary policy for executive officers, improving time limits for contribution rate changes and for widowed spouses becoming members and efficiency alterations to the make-up of the governing board. These changes would be enacted through amendments to the Emergency Services Superannuation Act 1986 as well as the State Superannuation Act 1988 and the Transport Superannuation Act 1988, all acts that came into effect before the national legislation. That says a lot about us as well. Under the Cain Labor government that is what we were doing – we were thinking about workers retirements and their security way back then, even before we had the national legislation introduced by Prime Minister Keating.

I will just go through a few other things about what is going on, but I really would love some more time, because there is so much to talk about and things that I am so passionate about. Prior to June 2022 an informal policy recognised 70 per cent of an emergency services executive officer’s total remuneration package as being their superable salary. However, since mid-2022 such employees have been able to voluntarily increase that to 90 per cent instead. This bill seeks to formally recognise that 90 per cent superable salary for a more consistent application of policy. More precisely, under these amendments executive officer salary will be defined for superannuation purposes as the greater of either 90 per cent of the total remuneration or the non-executive salary for an employee under the enterprise agreement. This will ensure that members who transition from non-executive positions into executive roles will not be left worse off, and that is really important.

This policy will be implemented within the legislation by amending the definition of ‘salary’ in the Emergency Services Superannuation Act 1986, and the translation provisions within the bill specify that this will apply to employment contracts entered into on or after the day that these legislative changes commence.

In addition to the superable salary clarifications, this bill alters two important time limits currently in place within the act. Firstly, members may currently only change their contribution rates once a year for historical administrative reasons. These rate changes also require two months notice. Given the increasing automation of relevant administrative processes, this outdated restriction will be removed for members of the ESSSuper scheme, new scheme and the Transport Superannuation Fund.

When it comes to super and protecting workers’ rights, Labor is on your side always and every day, in superannuation and all other things.

You can take a look at more of my contributions to Parliament here.