Many Aussies still in favour of ‘dangerous’ super scheme despite government warnings

Exclusive: Pauline Hanson wants taxpayers to be allowed to access their superannuation early to ease cost-of-living pressures, and more than a third of nine.com.au readers are on board with the idea, according to an exclusive poll.

The One Nation leader said this week that she believes the country’s super rules are too rigid, and would not be opposed to changing Australia’s superannuation system to allow people to take money out long before retirement.

Nearly 40 per cent of nine.com.au said they’re all for the idea in an exclusive reader survey of close to 1200 Australians.

A further 35 per cent were opposed to letting Aussies access their super early, and 26 per cent felt neutral about it.

Have you got a story? Contact reporter Maddison Skipper: mskipper@nine.com.au

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“I think super should be available if it will help people buy their own home,” one told nine.com.au.

“Super belongs to the individual. If they need it, they should be able to access it,” said another.

Those against the proposal felt differently, one telling nine.com.au: “Super is for retirement, not for today. You will need it more when you are older.”

Hanson claimed on Monday that it’s impractical for Aussies to have such a large amount of money locked away during a cost-of-living crisis.

“Your super is not Labor’s piggy bank. It is your money, earned through your work and put aside for your retirement,” she said in a social media post.

“One Nation believes Australians should have more control over their own super, including being able to access it when they genuinely need it.”

Currently, Australians can only access their super once they reach 60 and retire, or when they turn 65 regardless of whether they still work.

Some Aussies can also access their super in other very limited circumstances, such as when they are facing severe financial hardship or terminal illness.

One Nation would see those circumstances broadened to allow taxpayers to tap into their super early to help ease cost-of-living pressures.

Though more than a third of nine.com.au readers approve of the idea, 45 per cent said they wouldn’t withdraw a single dollar of their super early if given the chance.

Only 2 per cent said they’d take up to $2500, 4 per cent said they’d pull between $2500 and $5000, and nine per cent wanted $5000 to $10,000.

More than one in 10 said they’d withdraw more than $10,000 from their superannuation early to cope with cost of living pressures if they could.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has repeatedly rejected Hanson’s push for early super access, calling it “dangerous” and “a threat to the retirement incomes and economic security of Australian workers”.

“Now, if any combination of Liberals, Nationals or One Nation win the next election, Australian superannuation savings are not safe and workers will be worse off as a consequence,” he said on Wednesday.

The nine.com.au poll, which runs once a fortnight, canvases the views of the Nine audience on Idea Xchange, which is an online community of our readers and viewers. Learn more and sign up here.