A young woman has unleashed a scathing tirade about superannuation claiming Australians should be able to access their savings before they retire.   

Former Big Brother contestant and multiple property owner Estelle Landy slammed Australia’s superannuation policy, labelling the retirement-saving system as a ‘scam’.

Superannuation is a long-term investment that grows over time and for most people begins when they start work. 

An employee is paid a percentage on top of their salary or wage into a selected super fund, which is then invested and managed until they retire. 

Additional voluntary contributions can be made, with a person accumulating more for their retirement based on how much they contribute during their working life. 

But Ms Landy called for the country’s entire superannuation system to be ‘dismantled’ as the policy structure limits a person’s access to their own money. 

‘I just want to say that super is a f***ing scam,’ Ms Landy said. 

‘Think about it. They get to hold on to your money, invest it wherever the f**k they want; it doesn’t matter if they lose it. 

‘They make money on the interest of holding your funds, yet you have to pay them a monthly fee to do the work for you. 

‘The fact that people think we shouldn’t have access to our super when we need it is f***ed up. It’s a scam, the whole system needs to be dismantled.’

Ms Landy explained she had previously worked for 14 years in a government position dealing with superannuation. 

She added that restricting access to a person’s super was ‘cooked’ after she saw ‘first-hand’ everyday Australians lose everything during the global financial crisis. 

Australians are eligible to access their super at 65-years-old or when they reach preservation age (between 55 and 60) and retire. 

Access to super is granted early if a person meets one of the eligibility requirements including severe financial hardship, having a terminal illness, being a temporary resident, having less than $200 in a super fund or on compassionate grounds. 

Ms Landy’s comments sparked an online debate with many siding with the former reality TV star. 

‘This is why I do not have any superannuation. I earn 17 per cent interest annually in my dedicated bank accounts,’ one person wrote. 

‘I’m 55 and if I could take 25/30k of my super right now it would literally be life saving,’ a second person commented. 

A third person chimed in: ‘I agree! I have enough to use it on a deposit on a house but I’m stuck renting paying off someone else’s house. And I’m a single mum so we need somewhere to live’. 

Others argued Ms Landy was misinformed and did not fully understand how super funds worked, with many claiming the policy has numerous benefits.

‘If there was unrestricted access to super it would defeat the whole purpose,’ one person commented. 

‘When you are approaching 60 and have access you might have different view. I would never have saved the money on my own and now I have over a million to retire on,’ a second person wrote. 

‘The scam is that I as a tax payer will have to pay you a ‘pension’ when you hit retirement age because you spent it all and can’t support yourself,’ a third added.

A fourth argued: ‘Can you imagine how many people would be going into retirement with absolutely nothing if superannuation wasn’t a thing? The government would have to pay for all these people who can’t work and have no money’. 

Ms Landy’s comments come after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton unveiled a major proposed change to superannuation at the start of his election campaign. 

Mr Dutton confirmed the Coalition’s election promise to allow first home buyers to use $50,000 of their superannuation to buy a home will be extended to divorced women.

He said ‘restoring the dream of home ownership’ will be a key policy area in the Opposition’s campaign to win the 2025 election.

‘Entering the property market shouldn’t be limited to those who can rely on the bank of mum and dad,’ Mr Dutton said in January. 

‘That’s why a Coalition government will allow Australians to access up to $50,000 of their super to buy their first home. And we will extend that policy to assist separated women.’