magna, you mentioned the compulsory 5% super, so I assume you are possibly a govt employee or part of a super scheme, perhaps a defined benefit one, that requires 5% contribution as some do.
If so, then salary sacrificing this instead of with after-tax cash is generally the better option.
Bacci and others are getting a bit heavy with the pollie-bashing, but irrespective of this at 26 retirement is a long way off and building wealth outside of super is probably your bet.