Employers shortchanged Australian workers a record amount of super last year, tax office says

There are fresh calls from unions, Greens and the Super Members Council for superannuation to be added to the unpaid wages safety net. Photograph: Tom Compagnoni/AAP

Australian workers missed out on a record $5.2bn of superannuation that employers failed to pay last financial year, according to the Australian Taxation Office.

The ATO has released the data on the superannuation “gap” in its annual report, which also reveals that $1.4bn is likely to go unpaid because it is owed by insolvent companies.