Learn about our history

For more than 80 years, we’ve been there for our members. Through periods of rapid growth and during the difficult downturns, we’ve been helping West Australians navigate their journey to retirement, adapting to changing priorities and long-term goals.

Learn how employment conditions, government regulations and our members’ ever-evolving needs have shaped who we are today.

The birth of super in Australia

In the early 1930s, the world was plagued by The Great Depression. Across Australia and other parts of the world, people became more aware of the idea of financial security and the need to plan for the future.

In 1939, the Superannuation and Family Benefits Act was approved. In Western Australia, the Pension Scheme opened under the management of the WA State Superannuation Board, the very earliest form of our current organisation. The Superannuation Board was set up to provide super benefits for people permanently employed by or under the WA State Government.

Corner of Barrack Street and Hay Street, Perth, 1939. Sourced from the State Library of Western Australia, 128376PD

Corner of Barrack Street and Hay Street, Perth, 1939.
Sourced from the State Library of Western Australia, 128376PD.

Super for all

Super wasn’t widely adopted until the late 1980s. If you did have an account, it couldn’t be transferred if you changed employers.

In 1986, the introduction of compulsory super for those employed under an award aimed to help the wider working population to build their retirement savings through super. A year later, the Superannuation Board was replaced by the Government Employees Superannuation Board (GESB), and the Government Employees Superannuation Fund was established, leading to the introduction of our Gold State Super scheme.

In 1992, the same year we launched West State Super, the government introduced the Superannuation Guarantee (SG), a compulsory rate of contributions employers must pay into a super account on their employees’ behalf. Back then, your employer would have been required to pay 3% of your salary into your super account.

In 2001, the State Superannuation Act 2000 and State Superannuation Regulations 2001 came into effect. The governing framework under which we continue to operate, it introduced regulatory changes to our super schemes and gave us the freedom to offer more investment options for members.

We subsequently introduced more investment options, retirement income products and GESB Super.

Into the future

We’ve moved firmly into the digital age with the development of online resources and tools and continued to work hard to improve our products and services with more options for members. In 2019, we reached $30 billion in funds under management.

In 2020, as the world reeled from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, we kept our focus on supporting our members and taking a careful approach to managing investments.

Our GESB Super, West State Super and Retirement Income Pension products were awarded a platinum rating from SuperRatings for 14 consecutive years.

At each stage of our history, we’ve adapted to changing regulations and technology, economic conditions and global events, while finding the best ways to help you learn about your super and make the most of your retirement savings.

View our full timeline of events.

Page last updated 05 October 2021

Thank you for printing this page. Remember to come back to gesb.wa.gov.au for the latest information as our content is updated regularly. This information is correct as at 05 June 2026.