Superannuation Act (No. 3) 1973

Superannuation Act (No. 3) 1973 — Plain English Summary

This is a short and narrow piece of legislation with one clear purpose: to make employees of the Darwin Community College eligible for Commonwealth superannuation (retirement savings) benefits.

What it does

• Adds the Darwin Community College to the list of "approved authorities" under the main Commonwealth superannuation law (the Superannuation Act 1922). Being an "approved authority" means the organisation's employees can join the Commonwealth superannuation scheme — essentially, the government's retirement savings program.
• Specifically includes the College's Principal (i.e., its head) as a person deemed to be employed by the College for superannuation purposes. This was needed because the Principal's employment status may have been legally ambiguous.
• Backdates these changes to 19 July 1973, meaning employees who were already being treated as eligible — and any official paperwork (certificates, recommendations, or directions) already processed for them between 19 July 1973 and when this law passed — are all confirmed as valid. No one misses out and no one needs to redo their paperwork.
• Tidies up a minor drafting issue in an earlier 2023 Act (the Superannuation Act (No. 2) 1973) by removing a subsection that is no longer needed.

Who it affects

• Employees of the Darwin Community College, including its Principal, who were not previously covered by the Commonwealth superannuation scheme.