Barnaby Joyce pushes back on need to model impact of One Nation super policy By political reporter Holly Tregenza
Posted Tue 8 Sep 2026 at 10:07amTue 8 Sep 2026 at 10:07amTue 8 Sep 2026 at 10:07amLoading…
In short:
Barnaby Joyce has struggled to explain the economic and financial impact of One Nation’s early access superannuation policy.
The policy would allow Australians to divert a portion of their superannuation to their take-home pay for up to three years.
What’s next?
Mr Joyce has pushed back on warnings the scheme would have an inflationary impact by pumping more money in to the economy, which may worsen the cost-of-living crisis.
One Nation Treasury spokesperson Barnaby Joyce has struggled to explain the impact of the party’s proposed early superannuation access scheme, saying he is “not Jesus Christ” while being questioned about the policy’s financial and economic consequences.
Under the proposal, Australians who pay rent or have a mortgage would be given a choice to divert a portion of their superannuation to their take-home pay for up to three years.
The money would retain the favourable tax concession Australians already receive on super savings under the plan, which One Nation said would provide “breathing room” for people struggling with the cost of living.
There were warnings the proposal would create a sugar hit for Australians while pushing up inflation in the long-term.
On Tuesday, Mr Joyce sidestepped questions about modelling of the inflationary impact of the proposal, instead focusing on Australians’ right to access their savings.
“When people say you’ve got to model it, you’re saying, so I have to model whether someone gets access to their own money,” he said.
“The implications that I have to model you getting your own money, I find a little bit perverse. It is actually your money.”
When pushed on the loss of people’s retirement savings over time, Mr Joyce insisted he was across the detail of the policy.
“I’m the Treasury spokesman, not Jesus Christ. I mean, you have to actually give me the details of these things, if you got to put them forward to me,” he told 7.30 on Monday.
“Well, folks, how on earth? I mean, this is ridiculous. This is like saying, ‘Well, look, I’m now going to give you an incredibly complex question.'”
Australians ‘not stupid’, Joyce says
Mr Joyce argued the money in retirement savings was already circulating in the economy because it was being invested via superannuation companies.
“It’s actually going to your rent, which was the money you were paying before for it, or your house payment, which is a money you were paying before your house payment,” he said.
“If there’s extra money in the economy and you put it into your bank account and don’t spend it, it has no inflationary aspect.”
He said “anyone with a brain” would be able to effectively use the scheme, which would be open to any working Australian who pays rent or a mortgage, and would not include means testing.
“People are not stupid,” he said.
“The presumption by the socialists is that everyone’s a total moron and is going to take money from a good return and take it to a bad return if they don’t need it.”