17th Jun 2021 – Senate Treasury Laws Amendment (More Flexible Superannuation) Bill 2020 - in Committee - One Nation amendments

The majority voted in favour of amendments introduced by Queensland Senator Pauline Hanson (One Nation), which means they will now become part of the bill.

Senator Hanson explained the amendments:

... with COVID last year, people were given the opportunity to draw out of their superannuation $10,000 in the first year and another $10,000 in the second year. These amendments will allow those Australians who have withdrawn their money the opportunity to put that money back into their account by 2030. This is a way of saving—for people to put their money back into their account with no penalties. I think it would be great for the Australian people to actually have the opportunity to put it in.

[..]

The second sheet of amendments I put up here is to do with people who have put in amounts past their $25,000 concessional cap. They pay tax on it on the way in. Actually, if they pay over the $25,000 threshold, they are paying full tax on it. They are given the opportunity to pull that money out in a certain period of time after the end of the financial year, but they are penalised another three per cent. Remember that they have already paid their full tax on it, and you want to penalise them again by having them pay another three per cent on that money. This will get rid of that three per cent and they can draw out their money within a specified period of time. So I think it would help a lot of people if they want it to.

What does the bill do?

The bill was introduced in order "to enable individuals aged 65 and 66 to make up to three years of non-concessional superannuation contributions under the bring forward rule."

According to the Shadow Assistant Treasurer and Whitlam MP Stephen Jones (Labor):

This is a provision which benefits a large group of politicians but a very small group of Australians. At a time when we are trying to resolve the complex issues around superannuation, it is extraordinary in the extreme that this is the priority of this government—a measure that benefits a large group of politicians but a very small group of Australians who earn over $275,000 a year. It's not a priority and Labor won't be supporting the measure.