Industry Super Australia (ISA) has initiated a state-by-state campaign pointing to the impacts of the early access to superannuation scheme brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In its latest analysis, ISA said almost 30,000 South Australians had wiped out their super savings as $1.6 billion had been taken from retirement savings in the state.
Over 210,000 applications had been made with the average withdrawing $7,921.
ISA said the top three electorates by withdrawals in the state were Adelaide at $177 million, Hindmarsh at $161 million, and Port Adelaide at $159 million.
ISA chief executive, Bernie Dean, said: “The SA workers who accessed their super to prop themselves up now face a looming tragedy of retiring with less and being more reliant on the pension.
“The only realistic way workers can make up the difference is with the promised increase to the super rate – ditch the super increase and we will be saddling the next generation with a whopping pension bill.
“The youngest Australians would face a shocking double whammy they can’t afford if they have to repay the debt government has taken on during this crisis, and then pay for our retirement on the pension.”
The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has modified the additional licence conditions imposed on the trustee.
AFCA’s chief executive urged member firms to up their internal dispute resolution processes in order to cut down on costs owed to the authority.
ASFA’s CEO called Joe Longo’s comments on super “unfounded and unfair”, after the ASIC chair said fund trustees don’t always “know their business”.
Less than a month after being ordered to pay $27 million for failing to merge duplicate member accounts, Australia’s biggest super fund is again the target of a suit launched by the corporate regulator.