The Master Builders Australia proposal for the early release of super to address housing affordability is “glib” and “underwhelming”, according to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA).
ASFA said the proposal did nothing to address the supple side constraints at the heart of housing affordability and would instead channel the retirement savings of young Australians into the hands of speculators and property developers.
The association said the proposal would inflate the price of property by $50,000, which would exacerbate the housing affordability issue.
ASFA chief executive, Dr Martin Fahy, said: “The unemployment crisis faced by vulnerable sectors such as construction, hospitality and retail, requires a co-ordinated and comprehensive fiscal response from the Australian Government.
“With interest rates at an all-time low and government borrowings the lowest in the OECD, Australia needs a Marshall Plan-like stimulus to protect Australians from the scourge of long-term structural unemployment.
“The superannuation industry stands ready to work collaboratively with the Government to fund critical nation-building projects needed to bring about a transformative economic recovery for all Australians, including social and affordable housing.”
Super funds had a “tremendous month” in November, according to new data.
Australia faces a decade of deficits, with the sum of deficits over the next four years expected to overshoot forecasts by $21.8 billion.
APRA has raised an alarm about gaps in how superannuation trustees are managing the risks associated with unlisted assets, after releasing the findings of its latest review.
Compared to how funds were allocated to March this year, industry super funds have slightly decreased their allocation to infrastructure in the six months to September – dropping from 11 per cent to 10.6 per cent, according to the latest APRA data.
Good work from ASFA here. Master Builders' declining relevance is also shown up here. In Victoria the self interested policy positions are increasingly disjointed and confusing.