The Sydney Morning Herald
· collected 2026-09-07 · by Daniel Lo Surdo
Barnaby Joyce was questioned on ABC's 7.30 program about his party's controversial superannuation policy, which allows renters and mortgage holders to dip into a quarter of their superannuation contributions over three years. When pressed by host Sarah Ferguson to model the lifetime losses different Australians would incur from the policy, Joyce became defensive, shouting that he was One Nation's treasury spokesman, "not Jesus Christ". Ferguson continued to push him for an answer, listing forecast superannuation losses for Australians aged 30, 40, and 50. One Nation claims that almost two-thirds of workers would benefit from the scheme, with a median worker receiving an additional $2300 per year.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
One Nation's proposed superannuation policy allows Australians paying rent or a mortgage to divert up to 3% of their future compulsory super contributions as take-home pay for up to three years. This would give them an additional $82 per week. The policy aims to provide "breathing room" for those struggling with cost-of-living pressures, without touching existing super balances.
Critics, including Health Minister Mark Butler and the peak body representing super funds, have labeled the plan as "economically disastrous", warning it will drive up inflation and make retirees poorer. The Treasury spokesman for One Nation, Barnaby Joyce, was unable to model the lifetime losses different Australians would incur from the policy during an interview on ABC's 7.30 program.
Pauline Hanson, leader of One Nation, has defended the plan, arguing it will give Australians a helping hand in a time of economic hardship. The proposal would allow almost two-thirds of workers to access the scheme, with employers continuing to make the full compulsory 12% super contribution.
However, the policy has been met with skepticism by some experts and politicians, who argue it will create a "sugar hit" for Australians while making the cost-of-living crisis worse in the long term.
Written for “One Nation Super Plan Proposal” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 6 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
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not Jesus Christ
right Joyce uses this phrase to deflect criticism and imply that he is not responsible for the policy
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Perhaps if you hadn’t so thoroughly buggered the economy, Jim, they wouldn’t need to [access superannuation]
right Hanson blames Chalmers for the state of the economy and implies that he is responsible for workers needing to access superannuation
Leaning score +0.35 for article 6867 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-07
Barnaby Joyce’s latest interview on ABC’s 7.30 program devolved into chaos when he shouted that he was One Nation’s treasury spokesman – “not Jesus Christ” – when pressed on modelling central to his party’s controversial superannuation policy unveiled on Monday.
asserted
he → devolve → Monday
Joyce was facing a grilling on Monday’s edition of 7.30 when host Sarah Ferguson challenged the One Nation MP to model the lifetime losses different Australians would incur from the policy, which would allow renters and mortgage holders to dip into a quarter of their superannuation contributions over three years.
asserted
renters → face → years
Joyce railed against the question, upset that he wasn’t provided the examples before the interview, as Ferguson pushed him for an answer.
“Well, here we go folks, I’ll try and answer something which we’ll need an annuity table and will also need a sort of lineal regression, but I’ll do it for you, straight down the barrel,” Joyce said.
asserted
Joyce → rail → barrel
Ferguson responded: “Barnaby Joyce, if I may, obviously this is a policy that your party has come up with, so we would expect you as the Treasury spokesman for that party to be across it, just try it.”
uncertain
you → respond → it
Ferguson continued, listing the forecast superannuation losses for Australians aged 30, 40 and 50, earning a range of incomes.
asserted
Ferguson → continue → incomes
Joyce refused to engage with the question, though did say he was “happy to come back tomorrow” and give informed answers provided Ferguson was “prepared to pay my accountancy fees”.
asserted
Ferguson → refuse → fees
Less than two months ago, Joyce unleashed at his dog, Stella, while being interviewed by Ferguson, creating a video clip that quickly went viral across the country.
asserted
that → unleash → country
One Nation capitalised on the attention by selling custom dog leads following the interview, as part of a wider push of products under the “Sit Down! Barnaby’s Dog Leads” merchandise umbrella.
asserted
Nation → capitalise → umbrella
Joyce announced the superannuation policy alongside party leader Pauline Hanson at a rare Canberra press conference on Monday, dismissing suggestions the proposed reform would raise inflation and discourage real pay rises.
asserted
reform → announce → rises
One Nation claim that almost two-thirds of workers would be able to access the scheme, and that a median worker would receive an additional $2300 per year under the policy.
uncertain
worker → access → policy
It has been panned by Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, with Chalmers saying it was setting the scene for the next election to be a “referendum on super”.
asserted
election → pan → super
Chalmers said One Nation’s policy was a “recipe to make Australian workers tens of thousands of dollars worse off in retirement”, and argued that compound interest losses would negatively outweigh the short-term financial benefit of the new policy.
asserted
losses → say → policy
Hanson promptly called Chalmers “hysterical” in a post on social media and blamed him for the state of the economy. “Perhaps if you hadn’t so thoroughly buggered the economy, Jim, they wouldn’t need to [access superannuation],” she wrote.
asserted
she → call → superannuation
Hanson and Joyce said there would be no threshold of financial difficulty for access to the scheme, meaning all renters and mortgage holders – about two-thirds of the population – could benefit.
uncertain
renters → say → population
Joyce said he anticipated that “overwhelmingly” people would only access the scheme if they were in financial hardship, and would need to make applications to their superannuation funds claiming support to make rent and mortgage payments.
asserted
they → say → payments
He acknowledged that “a couple” of people may attempt to flout the system.
uncertain
couple → acknowledge → system
Later in Monday’s interview, Joyce revealed he hadn’t known about allegations of illicit drug use and “sexual deviance” levelled at One Nation Victorian party leader Warren Pickering, reported in The Australian.
asserted
he → reveal → Australian
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asserted
Subscribers → sign → newsletter
