Brighter Super has committed almost half of its planned additional $500 million Queensland investment allocation, two years into a five-year strategy aimed at directing more member retirement savings back into the state.
Speaking at the Queensland Futures Institute Finance Summit, chief executive Kate Farrar said the super fund had committed $225 million under its Queensland Investment Strategy (QIS), which was launched as a five-year plan to invest an additional $500 million across Queensland by 2029.
“The strategy is designed to ensure more of Queenslanders’ retirement savings are invested back into the state, while also ensuring the fundamentals stack up for our members. It represents a long-term commitment to Queensland’s economic future,” she said.
Farrar said Queensland’s population growth, infrastructure pipeline and innovation economy were creating attractive investment opportunities, particularly ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The latest commitments add to more than $1 billion already invested in Queensland and continue the fund’s focus on supporting the state where most of its members live and work.
“Brighter Super is ahead of schedule, with $225 million already committed under the strategy with investments to date focused across four key sectors: property and logistics, agriculture, infrastructure and high-growth businesses,” she said.
Brighter Super manages $37 billion in funds under management for more than 340,000 members, as at 31 December 2025, and said it had become Queensland’s third-largest non-government financial institution headquartered in the state.
Farrar said the shrinking number of locally headquartered financial institutions raised broader questions around future investment capability within Queensland.
“We have seen a decline in locally headquartered financial capability, raising an important question about who will continue backing Queensland into the future,” Farrar said.
“For Brighter Super, that is as much a responsibility as it is an opportunity, to maintain a credible, locally focused investment capability that understands Queensland and can invest in the state with confidence.
“With around 85 per cent of our funds under management coming from Queensland members, we’re ensuring that Queensland’s retirement savings are invested back into projects that help secure the state’s future,” she said.
Among the investments announced under the strategy is a $100 million allocation to Queensland real estate assets through global asset manager Barings, targeting industrial and logistics assets across south-east Queensland and regional hubs.
The fund has also committed $75 million through the Queensland Regional Agriculture and Food Trust with Riparian, supporting regional producers, water assets and agricultural infrastructure.
Another $50 million partnership with QIC is backing high-growth Queensland businesses across advanced manufacturing, agtech, aerospace and technology sectors.
Investments made through QIC’s portfolio include Queensland-based businesses such as Future Maintenance Technologies, Gilmour Space Technologies, SwarmFarm Robotics and ProcurePro.
“We will continue to invest with discipline, partnering with experienced managers and co-investors to ensure every Queensland investment meets the same return, risk and cost hurdles as anywhere else in our portfolio,” Farrar said.
