Workers under 18 would get super from their first shift
Right now most teen workers get no super unless they work more than 30 hours in a week. This bill would give them super from their first shift.
Official name: Superannuation Legislation Amendment (Fair Super for Young Workers) Bill 2026
- Workers under 18 only get super now if they work more than 30 hours in a week.
- This bill would give all workers under 18 super, whatever hours they work.
- The senator who wrote it says about 515,000 young workers miss out now.
- It is a private bill from Senator Barbara Pocock. It is still being debated in the Senate.
Who it affects
- Workers under 18 on part-time or casual hours, with no set weekly shifts: Your boss would have to pay 12 per cent of your normal pay into super, the same as for adults.
- Bosses of teens, like cafes, supermarkets and fast food shops: You would pay super for every young worker. That adds to your wage costs.
- Workers under 18 doing more than 30 hours a week: Nothing changes. You already get super for those weeks.
Teens miss out on super
Super is money saved for when you stop work. By law, bosses must pay a share of each worker's pay into super. This is called the super guarantee. It is 12 per cent of normal pay.
But young people are left out. If you are under 18, you only get super for a week where you work more than 30 hours. Most teens work after school and on weekends. So they get nothing.
Senator Barbara Pocock brought this bill to the Senate. Her notes on the bill say the rule shuts out about 515,000 workers under 18. That is about 93 per cent of them. She says they do the same work as older staff. She says they miss out only because of their age.
What the bill changes
The rule that leaves them out sits in detailed rules the government writes without a new vote. The main super law of 1992 now lets those rules leave out workers under 18.
The bill does two things. It removes the rule that leaves out under-18s who work 30 hours or less a week. It also changes the main law, so future rules cannot leave out under-18s again.
Say you are 16 and work 12 hours a week at a supermarket for $250. Right now your boss pays no super. Under this bill, they would pay $30 a week into your super fund. Over a year that is about $1,560, before any earnings on it.
Why early super matters
Super is invested, so it earns money. Those earnings then earn more over time. This is called compounding. Money put in at 16 has about 50 years to grow before you stop work.
The notes say even small amounts put in early can grow a lot over many decades. Senator Pocock says every worker should get super from the first dollar they earn.
Waiting in the Senate
The bill would start the day after it becomes law. A bill becomes law when the Governor-General signs it. The Governor-General is the King's representative in Australia.
Senator Pocock brought it into the Senate on 12 August 2026. The Senate debated it on 20 August 2026. It has not been voted on.
It would need to pass the Senate and then the House of Representatives, the other house of Parliament, to become law. Most private bills do not reach a final vote.
Its journey through Parliament
| 12 Aug 2026 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 12 Aug 2026 | Senate: Second reading moved |
| 20 Aug 2026 | Senate: Second reading debate |