The corporate watchdog has disqualified John Evennett from being an approved self-managed superannuation fund (SMSF) auditor after he breached fundamental independence and audit requirements.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) found the New South Wales auditor had breached:
ASIC commissioner John Price said: “SMSF auditors are fundamentally important in promoting confidence in the SMSF sector”.
“It is crucial that auditors adhere to ethical and professional standards. ASIC will continue to take action where the conduct of SMSF auditors is inadequate,” Price said.
Evennett was referred to ASIC by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) under section 128P of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (the SIS Act).
The impact of identity theft and its threat to superannuation savings were highlighted in a case that went before the Federal Court at the end of 2023.
A recent NSW Supreme Court decision is an important reminder that while super funds may be subject to restrictive superannuation and tax laws, in essence they are still a trust and subject to equitable and common law claims, says a legal expert.
New research from the University of Adelaide has found SMSFs outperformed APRA funds by more than 4 per cent in 2021–22.
The SMSF Association has made a number of policy recommendations for the superannuation sector in its pre-budget submission to the government.