Superannuation funds should only have to provide data to the regulators once – not multiple times.
That is the message being delivered by the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) which has used a submission to the Federal Treasury to argue that it be made mandatory for regulators such as ASIC and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to “collaborate on the collection of data and broader communication with the industry”.
It said that the objective should be that data and communication is reported only once through centralised, consistent, points of data collection and access or shared by the relevant regulators and other agencies as necessary.
“Currently regulators can communicate or request the same thing from superannuation providers at the same time,” the ASFA submission said. “This is highly inefficient and increases risks and costs significantly.”
“Ultimately it is superannuation fund members who pay for these additional costs, for little discernible benefit,” it said.
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.