The Institute of Actuaries has sought to place the appropriateness of self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) within the scope of the Government's Financial Systems Review (FSR).
In a detailed submission dealing with the proposed terms of reference for the FSR, the Institute of Actuaries suggested the Inquiry "could investigate the extent to which the financial system supports, encourages and is effective in the pre-planning and build-up of savings or wealth to meet foreseeable long-term needs of individuals and Australian society overall".
It said considerations in this area could include development of a market for transferring longevity risk, sustainability of retirement lump sum payment preferences, appropriateness of SMSFs, and alignment of superannuation tax incentives with community needs.
The submission also raised the question of the manner in which the various areas of the financial services industry are regulated in circumstances where major funds are regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) while SMSFs are regulated by the Australian Taxation Office.
"Where appropriate we believe it is important to review the harmonisation of regulation between different types of manufacturers such as banks, wealth managers, retail insurers, industry funds, and SMSFs," it said.
"This should also extend to different parts of the supply chain to ensure that there are at least no material regulatory misalignments between customers, distributors, manufacturers and broader stakeholders such as regulators and government," the submission said.
The research house has offered a silver lining after super fund returns saw the end of a five-month streak last month.
A survey of almost 6,000 fund members has identified weakening retirement confidence, particularly among those under 55 years of age, signalling an opportunity for super funds to better engage with members on their retirement journey.
The funds have confirmed the signing of a successor fund transfer deed, moving closer to creating a new $29 billion entity.
A number of measures, including super on Paid Parental Leave, funding to recover unpaid super, and frameworks to encourage investment in the energy transition, have been welcomed by the superannuation industry.
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