Superannuation Act (No. 2) 1966

Administered by Department of Finance

Legislation au C1966A00086 In force Act

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Superannuation (No. 2)

No. 86 of 1966

An Act to enable a Married Woman to Contribute to the Commonwealth Superannuation Fund, and for purposes related thereto.

[Assented to 29 October 1966]

BE it enacted by the Queens Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:—

Short title and citation.

1.—(1.) This Act may be cited as the Superannuation Act (No. 2) 1966.

(2.) The Superannuation Act 19221965, as amended by the Superannuation Act 1966,† is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

(3.) Section 1 of the Superannuation Act 1966 is amended by omitting sub-section (3.).

 

* Act No. 33, 1922, as amended by No. 45, 1924; No. 22, 1930; No. 10. 1931; No. 45, 1934; No. 28, 1937; No. 53. 1942; No. 18, 1943; Nos. 15 and 30, 1945; No. 2, 1946; Nos. 1 and 35, 1947; No. 19, 1948; No. 76, 1950; Nos. 49 and 62, 1951; No. 92, 1952; No. 11, 1954; No. 27, 1955; Nos. 19 and 112, 1956; No. 94, 1957; No. 45, 1958; No. 102, 1959; No. 102, 1963; and Nos. 97 and 154, 1965.

Act No. 69, 1966.


(4.) The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the Superannuation Act 19221966.

Commencement.

2. This Act shall come into operation on the day on which the Public Service Act (No. 2) 1966 comes into operation.

Parts.

3. Section 3 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting the words—

Division 5.—Existing Pension Rights (Sections 6673).

and inserting in their stead the words—

Division 5.—Existing Pension Rights (Sections 6773)..

Certain married women not to be contributors.

4. Section 6 of the Principal Act is repealed.

Contributor remaining in service after attaining maximum age for retirement.

5. Section 44 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by inserting after sub-section (2.) the following sub-section:—

(2a.) Where a female contributor who has attained the maximum age for retirement dies before retirement and is survived by a widower, the pension that would be payable to the widower under the provisions of this Act other than this section shall be increased by an amount ascertained by multiplying that portion of the pension that is equivalent to the contributions made by his wife by the percentage that would have been applicable under sub-section (1.) of this section in relation to her pension if she had retired immediately before her death.; and

(b) by omitting from sub-section (3.) the words either of the last two” and inserting in their stead the words any of the last three.

Retirement through invalidity–amount of pension.

6.—(1.) Section 45 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting the provisos to sub-section (1.).

(2.) Where a person referred to in the second proviso to sub-section (1.) of section 45 of the Principal Act—

(a) was, immediately before the commencement of this Act, being paid a pension by virtue of that proviso; or

(b) after the commencement of this Act, would have become entitled to a pension by virtue of that proviso if it had not been repealed,

a pension shall continue to be paid, or shall be paid, as the case requires, to that person as if that proviso had not been repealed.


Pension to surviving spouse and children on death of contributor.

7. Section 46 of the Principal Act is amended by adding at the end thereof the following sub-section:—

(4.) Where a female contributor dies before retirement leaving a widower who, in the opinion of the Board, was wholly or substantially dependent upon her immediately before her death, the preceding provisions of this section apply, subject to section fifty-seven a of this Act, as if she had been a male contributor and as if her widower had been the widow of a male contributor..

Pension to surviving spouse and children on death of pensioner.

8. Section 47 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting sub-section (1b.); and

(b) by omitting sub-section (4.) and inserting in its stead the following sub-sections:—

(4.) Where a female pensioner dies leaving a widower who, in the opinion of the Board, was wholly or substantially dependent upon her immediately before her death, the preceding provisions of this section apply, subject to section fifty-seven a of this Act, as if she had been a male pensioner and as if her widower had been the widow of a male pensioner.

(5.) Notwithstanding anything contained in this section, where a pensioner marries after retirement, pension is not, upon the death of the pensioner, payable to the widow or the widower, as the case may be, of the pensioner or in respect of the children of that marriage..

Pension to orphans on death of contributor or pensioner.

9. Section 48 of the Principal Act is amended—

(a) by omitting from sub-section (1.) the words and were dependent upon him at the time of his death, there shall and inserting in their stead the words there shall, in addition to any pension that may be payable in respect of the children under sub-section (2.) of this section,; and

(b) by adding at the end thereof the following sub-section:—

(2.) On the death of a female contributor or female pensioner whose husband is dead or divorced and who leaves children of herself or of her husband who are eligible children, there shall, in addition to any pension that may be payable in respect of the children under sub-section (1.) of this section, be paid to the guardian of the children, to be used for their support and education, such pension as would have been payable if the female contributor or pensioner had been a male contributor or pensioner and this section had applied in relation to him upon his death..


10. Section 49 of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section inserted in its stead:—

Refund of contributions on death of certain contributors.

49. Where a contributor who is an unmarried person (including a person who was formerly married), not being a person with children who are eligible children, dies before retirement, there shall be paid to the personal representatives of the contributor, or, failing them, to such persons (if any) as the Board determines, an amount equal to the amount of the contributions paid by the contributor..

11. After section 57 of the Principal Act, the following section is inserted:—

Pension to widower to cease in certain circumstances.

57a. A pension is not payable to a widower in pursuance of section forty-six or section forty-seven of this Act in respect of any period during which, in the opinion of the Board, the circumstances of the widower are such that, if those circumstances had existed immediately before the death of his wife, he would not have been wholly or substantially dependent upon her at that time..

Payments to children.

12. Section 58 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting in sub-section (1.), after the word widow (wherever occurring), the words or widower.

Limitation on dual pensions to widows.

13. Section 66 of the Principal Act is repealed.

Payment on retirement.

14. Section 82 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting sub-section (6.).

15. Section 83 of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section inserted in its stead:—

Payment on death of contributor with dependants.

83.—(1.) On the death of a contributor to the Provident Account before retirement, there shall be paid to—

(a) if the contributor is survived by a widow, or is survived by a widower who, in the opinion of the Board, was wholly or substantially dependent upon the contributor immediately before the contributors death—the widow or widower; or

(b) if the last preceding paragraph does not apply but the contributor is survived by children of the contributor or of the contributors spouse who are eligible children—those children,

a sum equal to three times the aggregate of—

(c) the contributions paid by the contributor to the Provident Account; and

(d) compound interest on those contributions at the prescribed rate.


(2.) Where the sum payable under the last preceding sub-section is less than one-half of the salary payable to the contributor to the Provident Account at the date of the contributors death, the sum payable to the widow, widower or children, as the case may be, shall be a sum equal to one-half of that salary.

(3.) Where an amount is payable under this section to children, the amount shall be divided equally amongst those children..

16. Section 84 of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section inserted in its stead:—

Payment on death of contributor without dependants.

84. Where a contributor to the Provident Account who is an unmarried person (including a person who was formerly married), not being a person with children who are eligible children, dies before retirement, there shall be paid to the personal representatives of the contributor, or, failing them, to such persons (if any), as the Board determines, an amount equal to the amount of contributions paid by the contributor to the Provident Account together with compound interest on the amount of those contributions at the prescribed rate..

17. Section 92 of the Principal Act is repealed and the following section inserted in its stead:—

Payment by Commonwealth to Provident Account.

92.—(1.) In respect of a payment made under sub-section (1.) of section eighty-two, or sub-section (1.) of section eighty-three, of this Act, the Commonwealth shall pay to the Provident Account an amount equal to two-thirds of the payment.

(2.) In respect of a payment made under sub-section (2.) of section eighty-two, or sub-section (2.) of section eighty-three, of this Act, the Commonwealth shall pay to the Provident Account an amount equal to the sum of—

(a) two-thirds of the amount (in the next succeeding paragraph referred to as the base amount) that would have been the amount of the payment if the payment had been made under sub-section (1.) of section eighty-two, or sub-section (1.) of section eighty-three, of this Act; and

(b) the amount by which the amount of the payment exceeds the base amount..

Overview

The Superannuation (No. 2) Act 1966 was enacted to address the gap in superannuation rights for married women, allowing them to contribute to the Commonwealth Superannuation Fund. This Act was passed by the Parliament of Australia and came into operation on the same day as the Public Service Act (No. 2) 1966. Its primary policy objective was to amend existing superannuation laws to provide equitable superannuation benefits for married women, including adjustments to pension entitlements and survivor benefits for spouses and children. The Act made significant changes to the Principal Act, which was the Superannuation Act 1922–1965 as amended by the Superannuation Act 1966, ensuring that married women had the same rights to superannuation as their male counterparts.

Scope and Application

The Superannuation (No. 2) Act 1966 applies to married women who are contributors to the Commonwealth Superannuation Fund, modifying their eligibility and pension entitlements. This Act amends the existing Superannuation Act 1922–1966, specifically addressing the provisions related to married women's contributions and pensions. Geographically, this Act applies at the Commonwealth level, impacting federal public service employees and their superannuation arrangements. The Act does not specify exclusions or exemptions but rather focuses on expanding and refining the superannuation rights of married women within the public service sector. Subordinate instruments may further extend or restrict the application of this Act, providing additional regulatory detail or specific implementation guidelines.

Key Provisions

The Superannuation Act (No. 2) 1966 introduces several significant changes to the existing superannuation laws, primarily focusing on the rights and benefits of married women and their dependents. Section 1 of the Act clarifies its citation and references the Principal Act, which is the Superannuation Act 1922–1965, as amended by the Superannuation Act 1966. The Act comes into operation on the same day as the Public Service Act (No. 2) 1966, as outlined in section 2. Section 4 of the Act repeals section 6 of the Principal Act, which previously excluded certain married women from contributing to the Commonwealth Superannuation Fund. Section 5 amends section 44 of the Principal Act, providing for an increased pension to be paid to a widower if his wife, a female contributor, dies before retirement and is survived by him. Section 6 removes the provisos in section 45 of the Principal Act, ensuring that certain individuals continue to receive pensions as if those provisos had not been repealed. Section 7 amends section 46 of the Principal Act to extend pension benefits to the surviving spouses of female contributors under certain conditions. Section 8 amends section 47 of the Principal Act to similarly extend pension benefits to the surviving spouses of female pensioners, with an exception for spouses married after retirement. Section 9 further amends section 48 of the Principal Act to ensure that orphans of female contributors or pensioners receive pensions equivalent to those for male contributors or pensioners. The Act also imposes obligations and requirements on the parties it governs. For instance, section 10 repeals section 49 of the Principal Act and inserts a new section 49, which provides for the refund of contributions to the personal representatives or designated persons of an unmarried contributor who dies before retirement. Section 11 inserts a new section 57a, which stipulates that a pension to a widower is not payable if the Board determines that the widower was not wholly or substantially dependent on the deceased spouse at the time of her death. Section 12 amends section 58 of the Principal Act to include widowers in the list of beneficiaries for pension payments to children. Section 13 repeals section 66 of the Principal Act, which previously limited dual pensions to widows. The Act delineates specific offences, penalties, and consequences for breaches. While the Act does not explicitly state penalties for non-compliance, breaches of its provisions could potentially result in civil or administrative penalties under the broader legislative framework governing superannuation. For example, failure to adhere to the requirements for pension payments or contribution refunds could lead to legal actions seeking redress or compensation from the relevant authorities. In summary, the Superannuation Act (No. 2) 1966 enhances the superannuation rights of married women and their dependents by amending and repealing certain sections of the Principal Act, while also imposing specific obligations and requirements on contributors, pensioners, and their beneficiaries.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Superannuation Law
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Repeal & Amendment
Pension to Surviving Spouse and Children on Death of Contributor
Pension to Widower to Cease in Certain Circumstances
Payments to Children

Interactions

Authorises

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.