The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has conceded it has never collected specific data on the issue of how commissions impact superannuation fund balances.
Responding to a question on notice from Tasmanian Liberal Senator David Bushby, the regulator said it "does not collect data on commissions paid by superannuation funds as part of its current statistical collection".
Bushby had used a Senate Estimates Committee hearing to ask APRA officials whether they knew the degree to which commissions impacted superannuation fund balances.
"Do you have a feel for the percentage of funds that come in - particularly the retail funds - that attract commissions?" he asked.
The degree to which commissions affect superannuation fund balances represented a central element of the Industry Super Network's "compare the pair" advertising campaign, but was reliant on research from commercial ratings houses such as SuperRatings.
Jim Chalmers has defended changes to the Future Fund’s mandate, referring to himself as a “big supporter” of the sovereign wealth fund, amid fierce opposition from the Coalition, which has pledged to reverse any changes if it wins next year’s election.
In a new review of the country’s largest fund, a research house says it’s well placed to deliver attractive returns despite challenges.
Chant West analysis suggests super could be well placed to deliver a double-digit result by the end of the calendar year.
Specific valuation decisions made by the $88 billion fund at the beginning of the pandemic were “not adequate for the deteriorating market conditions”, according to the prudential regulator.