One of Australia's leading superannuation funds has called on the Federal Government to give serious consideration to the introduction of additional incentives to encourage low income earners to make personal contributions to their superannuation accounts.

Tasplan General Manager, Neil Cassidy believes the Government still has a problem in engaging low income earners and convincing them that they can bridge the gap between their savings and their desired retirement lifestyle.

"The simple truth of the matter is that the Government's Superannuation Guarantee payment of 9% is unlikely to achieve an adequate retirement outcome by itself for lower income earners" Cassidy said.

He describes the Co-contribution Scheme as a wonderful initiative which has helped people better relate to super and convinced many Australians that they can achieve worthwhile retirement outcomes through personal savings and superannuation.

The challenge now says Cassidy is to convince low income earners - young people in particular - to defer current spending for superannuation.

"These people find it difficult to spare even a small proportion of the $1000 needed to take full advantage of the Government's co-contribution scheme." Cassidy said. "As good a deal as the co-contribution is, if people don't have a level of discretionary income, they won't be able to participate even if the Government were to double its contribution."

The Co-contribution scheme currently provides up to $1.50 for every after tax dollar contributed by Australians eligible to receive the Government's co-payment.

According to Cassidy, too few Australians are really connected to their superannuation. For too many he says, super is just something that is there, that's compulsory, that their employers pay into and which provides them a statement once or twice a year.

"The best way to forge a link between low income earners and their super will be through the introduction of some further incentive such as a tax rebate related to their age or income."

"Unless we can engage more people, the Federal Government's retirement incomes strategy won't achieve the goal of substantially reducing the number of future full or part-time pensioners." Cassidy said.