ALP reforms at odds with objective of super

21 February 2019
| By Hannah |
image
image
expand image

It’s hard to see how many of the Australian Labor Party’s (ALP’s) proposed superannuation reforms will improve superannuation for Australians and the objective of superannuation itself needs legal clarification, the SMSF Association National Conference has heard.

“It’s hard to see how these changes are improving superannuation,” BT Financial Group chief executive, Brad Cooper, told conference delegates this morning. “They’re either ideology led or distribution led or budget led”, rather than meeting the broader objectives of superannuation, he said.

Of course, the objective of superannuation itself is often a political football, and SMSF Association head of policy, Jordan George, said in the same panel discussion that this needed to be legislated to ensure responsible policy-making.

He said that it would help guide both effective policy and sensible implementation of possible legislative changes, which should be anticipated considering the recommendations made by the Productivity and Banking Royal Commissions regarding superannuation.

With retirement savings a key policy issue now, the panel agreed that legislating an objective could lead to clarity on the difference between superannuation and the Aged Pension from a policy sense.

This could prove useful when Comprehensive Products for Retirement Income (CIPRs) come onto Labor’s radar. While, as Mercer senior partner, Dr David Knox, pointed out on the panel, the ALP did not currently have proposed legislation developed on CIPRs, should it win the election this could need consideration during its three-year term.

Read more about:

AUTHOR

Recommended for you

sub-bgsidebar subscription

Never miss the latest developments in Super Review! Anytime, Anywhere!

Grant Banner

From my perspective, 40- 50% of people are likely going to be deeply unhappy about how long they actually live. ...

1 year 2 months ago
Kevin Gorman

Super director remuneration ...

1 year 2 months ago
Anthony Asher

No doubt true, but most of it is still because over 45’s have been upgrading their houses with 30 year mortgages. Money ...

1 year 2 months ago

The Federal Court has ordered AustralianSuper to pay $27 million for failures to address multiple member accounts....

2 days 23 hours ago

The country’s fourth-largest fund is targeting the “missing middle” of members with a new digital advice service in partnership with Ignition Advice....

3 days 21 hours ago

Where the RBA goes next is anyone’s guess, with economists and market pundits offering wildly different takes on the governor’s tone during the press conference and wheth...

3 days 22 hours ago

TOP PERFORMING FUNDS