Labor describes reports that the Turnbull government is considering allowing low-paid workers to opt out of compulsory super as despicable
Allowing low-income earners to opt out of compulsory superannuation would be a "despicable attack" on people's future retirement, Labor says.
The Turnbull government is reportedly being urged to consider the "opt out" idea in pre-budget submissions by industry groups.
The move could give thousands of part-time and casual workers earning less than $37,000 a 9.5 per cent pay rise - the amount paid by employers into superannuation - or up to $63 a week, News Corp reports.
"This is a despicable attack on the very foundations of a decent retirement for working Australians," Labor's superannuation spokesman Jim Chalmers told reporters in Brisbane on Sunday.
"The Liberal Party has never believed in compulsory superannuation and ... already they've frozen the superannuation guarantee, they're abolishing the low-income super contribution and these revelations today show that they plan to go even further."
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce declined to comment but said low-income workers more than likely would end up on the pension.
He wanted to encourage younger people to invest in the housing market, particularly in regional areas where houses were cheaper.
