Did you know that when parents take Parental Leave their super stops dead in their tracks, leaving families – and especially women – vulnerable to lower than average super in their retirement? Unions said it was not fair and commenced a campaign to address that. Our national union, the ASU lead the way in this campaign and I am proud to say it has been won.
So from July 2025 super will be paid on government-funded paid parental leave.
Before the passing of this important legislation, Paid Parental Leave was the only leave type that wasn’t eligible for superannuation payments.
This contributed to a lot of women retiring with less super than men on average.
I take this opportunity to acknowledge the tireless efforts of the late Labor Senator Linda White. A proud unionist who previously worked for our peak body, the ASU. Linda dedicated her life to fighting for equality and justice, particularly for working women and was a driving force behind this campaign.
All workers deserve a secure and dignified retirement. Super being paid on every dollar earned is a huge step towards achieving this.
This is a great way to start 2024! I join Graeme and the Executive in welcoming you to our new online journal. The edition is full of good news and great wins – as President of our great union it makes me very proud.
I am particularly proud for our union to be supporting the amazing Escabags iniative. The USU partnered with Escabags in September 2023 after founder and CEO, Stacey Jane shared her story of domestic violence at the USU Women’s Conference.
In unity
Sharon Sewell
USU President
