Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) | Hansard source

That is well understood, Senator Bragg. So anything you say about super really should be seen through the lens that you don't think people should have super. We have a different view on that. We think superannuation and being able to live a dignified retirement with savings accumulated through your working life is an important part of the social compact we have here in this country, and we don't resile from that. We have, since coming to government, looked at ways to make the system fairer and stronger—except that you, I think, have voted no to any of those reforms.

Going back to the question around women, the issues that are raised with me around super and women and how to get a better deal are: how we make sure that women are paid properly for the work they do; how we close the gender pay gap because, when we're doing those things, women will get more super into their superannuation account; how we compensate for periods of time away from work, like paid parental leave—and we're dealing with that—and, for those on lower incomes, the lower income super tax offset which we are adjusting and increasing. They have all been part of our thinking. So I don't know that any criticism of the government in terms of how we approach the question of superannuation and women is warranted. This is a decision taken quite separately to that around risks to financial stability and ensuring that people's retirement savings aren't impacted by decisions to borrow against their SMSF.