Melbourne Law School - Research Publications

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Author: Hardy, Tess × Author: Anderson, Helen ×

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    Who Should be the Super Police? Detection and Recovery of Unremitted Superannuation
    Anderson, H ; Hardy, T (University of New South Wales Law School, 2014)
    This article describes the range of issues surrounding unremitted superannuation contributions in insolvency and also more generally. We argue that more should be done to improve the detection and recovery of non-payments because of the importance of superannuation to both employees and the government. We contend that any model of enforcement that shifts the policing of unpaid superannuation to employees is flawed. This is true whether their employer is insolvent or not. Unfortunately, it seems to be the model that the government is increasingly embracing.
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    Superannuation Guarantee Contributions as a Tax: The Case for Reincarnation Over Reform
    Anderson, H ; Hardy, T (Taxation Institute of Australia, 2018)
    The superannuation guarantee charge, which aims to ensure that employers pay compulsory superannuation for their employees, is collected as a tax. This method of collection has advantages because it covers a range of workplaces and types of businesses, including where the workers are outside of the conventional notion of employment. However, despite this, unpaid superannuation guarantee obligations remain a significant concern for government, superannuation funds, trade unions and workers themselves. Attempts to improve recovery — both legislative and procedural — have arguably been tinkering around the edges of a fundamentally misconceptualised scheme. This article suggests an alternative approach which utilises the collection mechanisms of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and the worker-focused Fair Work Ombudsman as the primary agency overseeing superannuation collection. This would see superannuation recast as “deferred wages”, recoverable in the same way as other employee entitlements. While a further referral of powers from the states to the federal government would be required — or perhaps a constitutional amendment — the article argues that reincarnating the superannuation guarantee in this way could significantly improve recovery for the benefit of workers.