The Turnbull Government has transferred responsibility for the early release of super on compassionate grounds to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), effective 1 July this year.
Given the ATO is responsible for the majority of an individual’s interactions with super, the change would enable the regulator to provide a “more streamlined service” to members.
The Minister for Revenue and Financial Services, Kelly O’Dwyer, said the changes would expedite the assessment of early release applications, improve the integrity of the process, and allow the funds to be released more quickly.
The new process would see the ATO provide electronic copies of approval letters to super funds and the applicant with the intention of mitigating fraud risk, while negating the need for super funds to independently verify the letter.
O’Dwyer thanked the DHS and its staff for administering early release provisions, and noted it would continue to accept applications until 30 June.
The lower outlook for inflation has set the stage for another two rate cuts over the first half of 2026, according to Westpac.
With private asset valuations emerging as a key concern for both regulators and the broader market, Apollo Global Management has called on the corporate regulator to issue clear principles on valuation practices, including guidance on the disclosures it expects from market participants.
Institutional asset owners are largely rethinking their exposure to the US, with private markets increasingly being viewed as a strategic investment allocation, new research has shown.
Australia’s corporate regulator has been told it must quickly modernise its oversight of private markets, after being caught off guard by the complexity, size, and opacity of the asset class now dominating institutional portfolios.