POWERED BY MOMENTUM MEDIA
Independent directors not warranted for super funds
Mandating independent directors on not-for-profit industry superannuation funds does not guarantee improved fund performance and could hinder retirement incomes, a centre-left think tank believes.
The McKell Institute issued a new report titled ‘The Success of Representative Governance on Superannuation Boards', saying super funds with representatives from employer and employee bodies on their board of directors have outdone for-profit appointed trustee competitors on performance.
"The Federal Government should hold off on mandating reform in this area without providing strong evidence in favour of such a change," the McKell Institute's executive director Sam Crosby said.
"The trillions of dollars of Australians' retirement savings are far too important to our future to jeopardise with ideological dogma."
After the Institute investigated 25 years' worth of statistical evidence, empirical data and existing research, Crosby asked "when a system is working better than the alternative, why tamper with it?"
"There is abundant room for reform across our superannuation sector, but it would seem misguided in the extreme for the federal government to fixate of ‘fixing' one of the areas that is actually delivering," he said.
Industry Super Australia chair Peter Collins said he is not surprised the representative governance model has been effective for Australian retirees.
"ISA has always argued that pragmatism and evidence should trump pre-conceived ideological positions and this report adds a thorough and important body of evidence to the debate," he said.
Recommended for you
APRA’s latest data has revealed that superannuation funds spent $1.3 billion on advice fees, with the vast majority sent to external financial advisers.
Cbus Super has unveiled Advice Essentials Plus, a new service offering affordable financial advice to both members and their partners.
The fund has launched a new tool to help deliver personalised financial education and digital personal advice to eligible members.
The QAR lead reviewer has told a Senate committee that the government’s demands of super funds conflict with their original purpose.
TOP PERFORMING FUNDS
ACS FIXED INT - AUSTRALIA/GLOBAL BOND
Fund name
3y(%)pa
1
Spire Oaktree Opportunities XI Second Close
61.07 3 y p.a(%)
2
Spire Oaktree Opportunities XI First Close USD
59.21 3 y p.a(%)
3
DomaCom Lot 21 Chellaston Road Munno Para West SA 5115 Australia
31.56 3 y p.a(%)
4
Fidante Credit Suisse Global Private Equity
31.06 3 y p.a(%)
5
DomaCom 4/27 Crombie Avenue Bundall QLD 4217 Australia
26.81 3 y p.a(%)
