Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has forcefully reiterated the Government's pre-election commitment that it will be making no adverse changes to superannuation amid reports his Government was considering changes to the super tax regime ahead of the May Budget.
Newspaper reports said that a Freedom of Information process had uncovered Treasury documents which suggested the Government considered changes to the superannuation tax concessions ahead of the Budget.
Those same reports suggested the Government only opted for no change to the super tax regime after the Federal Opposition had outlined a change policy.
When asked to comment on the issue, the Prime Minister referenced his party's pre-election position.
"We have made a very clear decision that we aren't ever going to increase the taxes on super, we aren't ever going to increase the restrictions on super because super belongs to the people," he told reporters.
"It's your money. It's not a piggy bank to be raided by government whenever it's short and that's the trouble with Labor. Labor always treats your money as their cash reserve."
Jim Chalmers has defended changes to the Future Fund’s mandate, referring to himself as a “big supporter” of the sovereign wealth fund, amid fierce opposition from the Coalition, which has pledged to reverse any changes if it wins next year’s election.
In a new review of the country’s largest fund, a research house says it’s well placed to deliver attractive returns despite challenges.
Chant West analysis suggests super could be well placed to deliver a double-digit result by the end of the calendar year.
Specific valuation decisions made by the $88 billion fund at the beginning of the pandemic were “not adequate for the deteriorating market conditions”, according to the prudential regulator.