Super Consumers Australia (SCA) has revealed to a Parliamentary Committee that it has aspirations to secure permanent funding to make it a stand-alone entity representing superannuation consumers.
The SCA, currently describing itself as a start-up and in partnership with consumer group, Choice, said it had been formed in 2013 as “a not-for-profit to advance and protect the interests of superannuation consumers”.
However, the SCA has grown out of Choice’s decision to form the Centre of Superannuation Consumers in 2013 which weighed into a number of policy issues at the time including the Abbott Government’s moves to amend the Future of Financial Advice (FOFA) legislation.
In its submission filed with the Senate Economics Legislation Committee this week, the SCA backed the Government’s legislation to close the superannuation salary sacrifice “loophole” which allowed employers to reduce their superannuation guarantee obligations.
In doing so, the SCA said its position was consistent with that Choice in 2017 and cited Industry Super Australia modelling that claimed the cost of the salary sacrifice loophole at an estimated $1.5 billion a year, affecting around 370,000 workers.
Superannuation funds are stepping up their cyber security efforts as reliance on digital infrastructure exposes them to growing risks of cyber attacks, according to new research from JP Morgan.
It seems the government is still determined to push through its controversial super tax legislation, according to its Tax Expenditures and Insights Statement released today.
Bitcoin’s recent surge above US$105,000 has fuelled predictions of a continued monumental rise, yet many Australian super funds remain hesitant to dive into the world of digital assets, with one fund admitting it is keeping an eye on the space.
Large super funds are at the forefront of setting standards for the governance of unlisted asset valuations, according to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).
This mob is as far away from a consumer group you can get. How testing microwaves and dish clothes positions you to comment on superannuation legislation - which they have done in as about an anti-consumer way you could imagine - is beyond me and beyond the consumer movement. Genuinely bizarre. Genuinely right wing. These days, Choice is clearly a mouthpiece for the Liberal party.