Industry Super Australia

The industry super collective logo has become one of the industry’s most recognisable symbols and a full-blown memetic in its own right. Its genesis was in a campaign to get retail funds to take their “beaks out of the carcass”.

Members back the idea of industry funds and the government working together on nation-building projects – if the returns stack up. Convincing them that they actually do will be key.

While funds have backed affordable housing as an asset class, nation-building initiatives like the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) still need tweaks to create certainty for institutional investors.

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) is exploring a merger with Industry Super Australia as external pressure grows on industry associations and the funds they service.

As the Albanese Government looks to use super funds to kickstart Australian infrastructure growth, the number of obstacles arrayed against investing in affordable housing and venture capital might give them pause for thought.

Hostplus CIO Sam Sicilia believes the trillions of dollars washing around super could be put to good use in nation-building projects – and that criticisms of investing in unlisted assets are an “absurdity”.

A significant chunk of super fund advertising could now be on ice, with APRA finding that marketing expenditure could not be shown to have improved members’ financial position. As stapling puts a nail in the coffin of default distribution, many of Australia’s biggest super funds have turned their attention to the dark art of advertising…

The inquiry into common ownership has given us that rarest of things: a moment of bipartisan stupidity. There are so many wonderful ways to waste taxpayer money. You can use it to pay for business-class flights to Canberra, or Craig Kelly-style political stunts, or even give it away to profitable multinational corporations in the middle…

Strongly divided views about the wisdom of using the early release from superannuation have prompted large numbers of fund members to seek the advice of financial planners. Losing insurance cover, reducing retirement benefits and crystallising losses are the main issues commentators have highlighted. According to AMP’s technical adviser support team, early release of super was…