The Federal Government has used the Budget papers to reinforce its intention to impose a “retirement covenant” on superannuation funds.
The Budget papers confirmed the Government’s intention to amend the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (SIS Act) “to introduce a retirement covenant that will require superannuation trustees to formulate a retirement income strategy for superannuation fund members”.
The Budget papers said the Government would also amend the Corporations Act 2001 to introduce a requirement for providers of retirement income products to report simplified, standardised metrics in product disclosure to assist customer decision making.
The Budget announcement comes amid industry concerns that a one size fits all approach will not be appropriate with respect to the development of Comprehensive Income Products in Retirement (CIPRs).
The Future Fund’s CIO Ben Samild has announced his resignation, with his deputy to assume the role of interim CIO.
The fund has unveiled reforms to streamline death benefit payments, cut processing times, and reduce complexity.
A ratings firm has placed more prominence on governance in its fund ratings, highlighting that it’s not just about how much money a fund makes today, but whether the people running it are trustworthy, disciplined, and able to deliver for members in the future.
AMP has reached an agreement in principle to settle a landmark class action over fees charged to members of its superannuation funds, with $120 million earmarked for affected members.