The Federal Opposition has signalled it will test whether the Government's new MySuper regime will really deliver cost savings to superannuation funds or default fund members.
Tasmanian Liberal Senator, David Bushby, moved prior to yesterday's dissolution of Parliament to file a number of questions with the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) seeking to determine how many super funds would deliver MySuper products and also the cost base for those products.
In addition, Bushby has questioned how many super funds have had their applications for MySuper licensing refused.
Key questions Bushby posed to the regulator were the range of Management Expense Ratio/Indirect Cost Ratio for MySuper licences and the average cost.
Bushby also questioned whether the Management Expense Ratio/Indirect Cost Ratio included the Operational Risk Contingency Reserve expenses, and further, which funds include the cost in their ratio and which funds charge it as an additional expense.
"Does APRA and/or ASIC [Australian Securities and Investments Commission) require that the Management Expense Ratio/Indirect Cost Ratio include the Operational Risk Financial Requirement expenses?" Bushby asked.
A number of superannuation fund executives have complained of the substantial costs incurred in the development of a MySuper product, and questions remain about whether, ultimately, the new regime will be more cost-effective for members than the previous default fund regime.
Vanguard Super has reported strong returns across most of its investment options, attributed to a “low-cost, index-based approach”.
The fund has achieved double-digit returns amid market volatility, reinforcing the value of long-term investment strategies for its members.
Australian super funds notched a third consecutive year of strong returns, with the median balanced option delivering an estimated 10.1 per cent over the 2024-25 financial year, but an economist has warned that the rally may be harder to sustain as key risks gather pace.
AustralianSuper has reported a 9.52 per cent return for its Balanced super option for the 2024–25 financial year, as markets delivered another year of strong performance despite the complex investing environment.