Superannuation will become a key election issue if the Govenrment uses the May Budget to deliver super tax changes which do not deliver equity, according to Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) chief executive, Tom Garcia.
Making his opening address to the Conference of Major Superannuation Funds (CMSF), Garcia warned the Government against seeking to pursue a "quick fix" approach to super changes in the Budget.
He said he would be very disappointed if a quick fix approach was pursued in circumstances where Australians did not need superannuation to be used as a means of fixing a Budget hole.
"The super tax changes need to pass the test of fairness or super will become a major election issue," Garcia said.
Elsewhere in his opening address, Garcia also pointed to the "myth" of people needing $1 million in super to enable a comfortable retirement.
He said this simply was not true and that super needed to viewed in the context of access to the Age Pension.
Introducing a cooling off period in the process of switching super funds or moving money out of the sector could mitigate the potential loss to fraudulent behaviour, the outgoing ASIC Chair said.
Widespread member disengagement is having a detrimental impact on retirement confidence, AMP research has found.
Economists have warned inflation risks remain elevated even as the RBA signals policy is sitting near neutral after its latest hold.
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.