The Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, Kelly O’Dwyer has stressed the likelihood of jail terms for employers who fail to meet their superannuation guarantee (SG) obligations.
Speaking on radio, O’Dwyer said it was the Government’s intention that SG recalcitrants should face up to 12 months’ jail.
“We are going to jail people for 12 months if in fact they don't pay the superannuation that they should,” she said. “We have said to those businesses you've got to get your house in order. We are strengthening the powers of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to be able to go after that unpaid super.”
The minister said that businesses now had a 12 month amnesty to come forward with respect to SG underpayments and to “pay every single dollar that you owe to those employees who you haven't paid including interest so that they are no worse off”.
“The Government will forego the penalty that the business would have otherwise paid to the Government because we want to turbocharge people being paid the money that they are owed and that will help around 50,000 people get access to around $230 million of their own money,” she said.
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.