The Group
We Champion a Fair and
Transparent Super Scheme
for the Firefighters, Paramedics
and Police Forced to Join It
2800+
Members
1200+
Signees
10+
Working Group
About Super Emergency
Super Emergency is a member-driven campaign run by serving Victorian emergency services workers. We are the firefighters, paramedics and police officers who are legally required to be members of the ESSS Defined Benefit Scheme, and we think it is time someone asked hard questions about it.
Every career firefighter, paramedic and police officer in Victoria is compelled by legislation to join the ESSS Defined Benefit Scheme. We don't get to choose our fund, compare products, or leave if we're unhappy. That makes us different from almost every other worker in Australia
Compulsion should come with accountability. A scheme that people are forced to join should be modern, transparent, accurate and independently verifiable. We believe the ESSS Defined Benefit Scheme currently falls short on all four counts, and the evidence has been sitting in plain sight since a review found in 2017 that the scheme's benefits had failed to keep pace and had become significantly eroded.
The Super Emergency Team
Who we are, and who we aren't
We are current emergency services workers and scheme members. This campaign is independent. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of ESSSuper, the Victorian Government, or any union. We respect the work the unions have done on this issue over the years, including initiating the 2017 review, and we want to see that work finally acted on.
We are not financial advisers, and nothing on this site is financial advice. Superannuation decisions are serious and personal. Before acting on anything you read here, check your own circumstances and consider speaking to a licensed financial adviser. Our job is to raise questions, share information and push for an independent review, not to tell you what to do with your money.
Our Asks Are Simple
- An independent review of whether the defined benefit formula remains appropriate given the fourfold increase in the compulsory SG rate since the scheme was designed.
- An audit of the accuracy and transparency of benefit calculations, so members can verify their entitlement rather than just being told a number.
- A public report on what has and hasn't been done with the recommendations of the 2017 review.
- Legislative reform, if that's what it takes, so emergency services workers get a retirement outcome that reflects their years of service and risk.
If you're an ESSS member, or you simply believe the people who run toward emergencies deserve a fair retirement, there are three things you can do right now: sign the petition, share it with your crew and your family, and tell us your story. If you've had to fight to get your balance corrected, or you've struggled to get a straight answer about how your entitlement is calculated, we want to hear from you.
