Key individuals from EISS are expected to be examined by the prudential regulator regarding its past marketing and sponsorship expenditure.
Speaking at a Parliamentary hearing, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) was asked by Senator Andrew Bragg about what the regulator was doing to implement the new laws on best financial interests and pointed to EISS.
APRA executive board member, Margaret Cole, said the investigation into EISS on expenditure, governance and oversight commenced in May and was ongoing.
“We already have documentation that's come in pursuant to notices that were served. Considering that we would expect to examine key individuals here,” Cole said.
“We will focus on past events that gave rise to concerns as well as actions to prevent such things happening in the future.”
Cole noted APRA expected the practices of entities examined in its thematic expenditure review to cease.
“In many cases expenditure has stopped and that is appropriate. Where it has continued we are looking into that properly, and we will see what action we can take on it,” she said.
“But having new tests and new powers and the new burden of proof for the future, I would expect us again to be more muscular and bold in how we push into these issues.”
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.