James Cook U advises staff of superannuation underpayments occurring for up to a decade

The university advises it is a problem with allowances which did not attract superannuation contributions, when they should have. Some 70 current staff and 1,559 former employees are owed a median $155 each. All up the university will be paying people $1m in total.

JCU is not alone in mucking-up the super system: Swinburne U discovered it owed $3.66m to 3700 then present and former staff in 2018 (CMM May 8 2018). Also in 2018, former Uni Newcastle VC Caroline McMillen advised staff that consultants Deloitte was hired to investigate “potential anomalies” in its superannuation accounts. Professor McMillen committed to making-up any shortfalls in staff super, with interest, (CMM July 27).

And last year La Tobe U discovered it owed money to the super funds of 2800 staff, ranging from $20-$30 to sums in the tens of thousands., with a median of $130.

Uni Wollongong still appears to hold the record, getting super payments wrong, for 30 per cent of staff over eight years. The university estimated the make-good cost was $10m, (CMM, April 6 2017).