TRANSCRIPT
Lyn Maciver could never have predicted she would become a full-time carer to her husband when he had a severe stroke 24 years ago, at just 58 years old.
The 79-year-old was originally superannuated from her high-paying job in Sydney, before she and her husband were forced to relocate to their farm in central-west New South Wales when he became seriously ill.
She had 300 thousand dollars in superannuation savings from her academic job at a university but was ultimately forced to give up paid work.
"He was put into a coma for two and a half months. They said he would never walk or talk again and that I should look for a nice nursing home. There was no such thing for a 58-year-old man. So, I decided that I was going to take him back to the farm. And I had 90 head of long horn cattle and a husband who couldn't walk or talk. And so began a journey that I wouldn't wish on anybody. And because of that I had to give up full-time, I had to give up paid employment."
The couple were forced to try to live off their savings, including Lyn's superannuation, which they did for seven years until they ran out of money in 2007.
Lyn says they received no financial assistance from the government, and eventually sold the farm and returned to their home in Epping in Sydney's north-west, which they had purchased just three months before her husband's stroke.
Lyn confronted the financial prospect of unemployment, alongside a quarter of a million-dollar mortgage.
The disability and carer's pensions that she and her husband receive altogether is around $1800 a fortnight, which Lyn says barely even covers their very expensive caring costs.
"I think the government should be looking at unpaid caring as a job. It is a job. And anyone who stayed home, even looking after kids knows that you're not lying around the pool eating grapes, you're pretty flat out all the time. There should be no such thing as unpaid caring. And people turn around and the government says 'oh yes but there will always be people who rort the system.' I said you don't make laws for the lowest common denominator. You make the laws for the majority of people who do the right thing. And I'm pretty sure that if 80 or 90 per cent of the unpaid carers were men, we'd be getting paid."
Women are still retiring with a third less superannuation than men, despite living longer and retiring earlier.
A new report by the Super Members Council - titled 'Securing a Dignified Retirement for More Women' - assessed the last seven years and found this gendered superannuation gap persists in every state and territory.
The report focused on women in their thirties who are the primary group where the super gap has failed to narrow.
One of the key reasons for this is that women still do the majority of unpaid care work - whether that's for their children or ageing family members.
The Super Members Council's analysis found that paying super on the Parental Leave Pay Scheme would leave a mother of two $12,500 better off at retirement, and therefore make a meaningful reduction in the gender super gap, which currently sits at around $50,000.
Georgia Brumby is the Executive General Manager of Advocacy at the Super Members Council:
"So, we're really concerned about this, and we see a direct correlation with one of the big gaps in the system at the moment - which is the fact that currently superannuation is not paid on the government's paid parental leave scheme. So, we're calling on the government to prioritise this in its upcoming federal budget as we think it would make a significant difference to those women in their thirties. They're missing out on vital super contributions and it's having a significant impact on their quality of life later in retirement."
While the report focuses on paid parental leave and women in their thirties, Ms Brumby says their organisation is also looking into the role of unpaid care work over the next few months.
The report notes there are broader structural drivers of the gender super gap, including social norms around unpaid caring responsibilities, but Ms Brumby didn't confirm that the body agreed unpaid carers should receive superannuation.
"It's certainly something that we are looking at because obviously they're out of that paid workforce. They are doing unpaid work that in many cases will be more challenging and more of a burden than most people's normal jobs. So, we are really conscious of the impact that will have and it is something we are looking at in terms of our own advocacy - what the right sort of - I suppose - avenue might be to ensure that unpaid caring is recognised when we are looking at superannuation contributions."
But for carers like Lyn, the issue is urgent as it takes on a significant emotional and financial toll.
She says being paid superannuation would offer a bit of respite in such a financially demanding and time-consuming role.
"It would have allowed me to have a holiday. I haven't had a holiday since 2007. Just a break, so I'm up every morning any time between 6 and 7. To be ready I have to be up and ready and showered and dressed and all, waiting for the carers to come. SO just for me to have a sleep in till 9 o'clock is like a holiday. But I think as we all know, what you earn puts a value on you. And if you don't pay women for the work they do, and this is a universal problem, this is a global problem. And if you don't pay them adequately, you're basically telling them they're worthless. And I think that's a really bad message to be sending out to women who are basically the backbone of the community."
The chief executive officer of advocacy organisation 'Women In Super', Jo Kowalzcyk says there should certainly be some kind of financial assistance offered to unpaid carers but also fell short of suggesting superannuation was the answer.
"We definitely would call for there to be a form of compensation, what that looks like, whether that's the super guarantee at a certain level, whether it's a certain kind of credit you get into your superannuation based on time. You know, there are a variety of mechanisms, but definitely unpaid or undervalued care work is a significant factor contributing to the gender super gap."
But when it comes to advocating for superannuation to be paid during paid parental leave, Ms Kowalzcyk says this is something Women In Super call for wholeheartedly.
"Women in Super have been calling for super to be paid on the paid parental leave since its inception. It's one of the only forms of leave that doesn't attract super, so we would support that in the report 100%."
Minister for Women Katy Gallagher addressed that very issue at a Parliament House Committee.
Greens Senator Larissa Walters asked Senator Gallagher when the government will legislate superannuation on paid parental leave.
Senator Gallagher responded saying:
GALLAGHER: "Well that's a matter for government".
WATERS: "Well you're the government, so give me the answer please".
GALLAGHER: "I know, but I'm, I think the Treasurer and I have spoken about it as something we want to do when we are able to and when we can afford to, so it remains before government."
Another barrier noted in the report is changes to the low-income superannuation tax offset, which currently finds those earning less are taxed more heavily on their superannuation.
Women make up the majority of low-income earners, but the full tax refund on super guarantees currently only covers those earning up to $37,000.
The report notes that adjusting this threshold to $45,000 would boost the super of more than 1.2 million Australians, of which 60 per cent are women, by an extra $500 million in the 2025-26 financial year alone.
But for full-time carers like Lyn who are relying on a pension alone, the gender superannuation gap speaks to a broader urgent inequality.
"Because to me it's just basic. It's equality. It's not fair that half the population, and I mean things are better now than they used to be, but half the population is in servitude to the other half because of gender. I think we just need to value caring. We found this out during COVID, that without care... people are going to die."
