Superannuation (Public Employees Portability) Act 1985

What This Law Does

This Queensland law allows public sector workers to take their superannuation (retirement savings) with them when they move between government jobs — rather than losing the employer-contributed portion of their super when they change roles.

Who Does This Affect?

This law affects public sector employees — people working for Queensland government agencies, Commonwealth government departments, the Defence Force, and certain government-owned bodies. It covers people who:

• Resign voluntarily from a government job
• Are retrenched (made redundant)
• Leave parliament (cease being a member of the Legislative Assembly)

What Problem Does It Solve?

Before portability laws like this, if you left a government job, you might only get back your own contributions to your super — the government's matching contributions (the "employer top-up") could be forfeited. This law lets you transfer the whole pot — your contributions plus the government's contributions — to your new superannuation fund when you move to another public sector job.

How Does It Work?

1. You leave a qualifying government super scheme (by resignation, retrenchment, or leaving parliament)
2. , you start a new public sector job and join another qualifying super fund