The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) is continuing its lobbying around Australia’s $3.75 billion in unclaimed super, calling again on the Government to make legislative changes to enable the Commissioner of Taxation to distribute it into active super accounts.
ASFA chief policy officer, Glen McCrea said ASFA would champion the option to amend the Superannuation (Unclaimed Money and Lost Members) Act 1999 for the Commissioner of Taxation to pay unclaimed money to an individual’s current account.
“One way to greatly improve the system is to have the ATO [Australian Taxation Office], which has the details of the active superannuation accounts for most individuals with unclaimed super, to return unclaimed funds currently captured by legislated threshold transfers,” he said.
McCrea said the active repatriation of account held by the ATO should be a favourable option, given its consistency with the Government’s policy objective to reduce unnecessary super.
Australia’s superannuation funds are becoming a defining force in shaping the nation’s capital markets, with the corporate watchdog warning that trustees now hold systemic importance on par with banks.
Payday super has passed Parliament, marking a major shift to combat unpaid entitlements and strengthen retirement outcomes for millions of workers.
The central bank has announced the official cash rate decision for its November monetary policy meeting.
Australia’s maturing superannuation system delivers higher balances, fewer duplicate accounts and growing female asset share, but gaps and adequacy challenges remain.