The Government confirmed its pre-Budget announcements on increased funding to both the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).
The Budget documents said the Government was enhancing ASIC’s and APRA’s effectiveness, providing more than $550 million “so they have the necessary resources to discharge their expanded remit and address misconduct”.
The Government will provide more than $400 million to ASIC including:
It said the government wouldl increase APRA’s budget by $152 million to strengthen its supervisory and enforcement activities.
“$117 million of this funding will support APRA’s response to key areas of concern raised by the Royal Commission, including with respect to governance, culture and remuneration,” it said.
“The Government is also providing $7.7 million to establish an independent Financial Regulator Oversight Authority to report on ASIC’s and APRA’s effectiveness.”
The regulator has fined two super funds for misleading sustainability and investment claims, citing ongoing efforts to curb greenwashing across the sector.
Super funds have extended their winning streak, with balanced options rising 1.3 per cent in October amid broad market optimism.
Introducing a cooling off period in the process of switching super funds or moving money out of the sector could mitigate the potential loss to fraudulent behaviour, the outgoing ASIC Chair said.
Widespread member disengagement is having a detrimental impact on retirement confidence, AMP research has found.