When jobs are advertised, the salary package that is often advertised along with it is generally inclusive of superannuation payments. This is indicative that superannuation payments are considered part of a role's salary. Further evidencing this, in light of payments such as firdt aid allowances not being paid to workers who are not on Site, superannuation continues to be paid to workers on sick leave and annual leave.

Section 5 of the Sex Discrimination Act clearly sets out what sexual discrimination is and how it occurs. Section 5 subsection (2) defines the occurance of sexual discrimination as "[where] the discriminator imposes, or proposes to impose, a condition, requirement or practice that has, or is likely to have, the effect of disadvantaging persons of the same sex as the aggrieved person." 
Being that maternity leave is generally applied to the pregnant female of a partnership, the exclusion of superannuation payments during paid maternity leave directly discriminates against the salaries of female employees.

The ASFA Pre-Budget Submission for the 2022-23 Budget found that women across Australia retire with 24% less superannuation than their male counterparts. An article by Aging Australian (https://www.australianageingagenda.com.au/clinical/social-wellbeing/one-in-three-older-women-living-in-income-poverty-in-australia-study/ found that 1 in 3 older women in Australia livde in income poverty. 

These are only 2 snippets of the greater gendered issue at play. 

Australian women do not only deserve to be paid their super contributions while on paid maternity leave from their employer, they have a legal right to be paid them. 
Australian women are living in poverty due to GOVERNMENT DISCRIMINATION.

This is a petition to ensure the Australian legislature correct this inconsistency in their description of Sex Discrimination and their enforcement of laws surrounding superannuation patyments within Australia.