Craig Kelly (Hughes, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

On the issue of superannuation, I stand closer to the member for Goldstein than to the members on this side of the House. He gave an excellent speech today, which I would commend to everyone, on the importance of housing affordability and the right of young Australians to access their super for housing. However, I cannot support this bill. The issue we have is stapling. We have different requirements in different industries, especially in high-risk industries, for the insurance component of your superannuation. A worker in a high-risk industry, whether it is mining, deep-sea fishing, industry or farming, has a completely different insurance requirement than someone working in a government office job. Unfortunately the stapling provision will staple you to an insurance policy that is not satisfactory and will not adequately cover many high-risk workers. I don't care whether it is just one Australian that this happens to. If this bill is passed, as sure as night follows day, there will be a case of some young worker who was working in an office job, or at Coles or Woolies, who then goes to work in one of those high-risk occupations, be it mining or on a farm, and has an industrial accident in their first week of work. We know that will happen. They will go back to their stapled insurance policy and find that they are inadequately covered. We are not just stapling the investment component; we are also stapling the insurance component. That is not satisfactory, given the difference in risk in occupations in this country. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience support this bill and vote for that risk to happen.

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