The introduction of MySuper represented one of the greatest wastes of time and money ever to be encountered by the Australian superannuation industry, according to Deloitte partner, Russell Mason.
Participating on a panel at Super Review’s Future of Superannuation Conference in Melbourne, Mason said he believed the money and time had been wasted because, ultimately, it had simply amounted to a rebadging of existing default funds.
However, his fellow panellist, Rice Warner chief executive, Andrew Boal disagreed with Mason arguing that, if nothing else, MySuper had succeeded in reducing fees.
Boal said he, himself, was a member of a MySuper fund and he had remained within it because he believed it was appropriate to his needs.
Grow Super head of strategy, Adam Gee said that while he agreed that MySuper had served to contain fees, he believed it had nonetheless fallen sort in many other aspects.
The panel had been asked whether the Cooper Review push for MySuper had failed the superannuation industry in the context of lowering the need for member engagement.
AustralianSuper has reported a 9.52 per cent return for its Balanced super option for the 2024-25 financial year, as markets delivered another year of strong performance despite the complex investing environment.
The profit-to-member super fund’s MySuper default option has returned 9.85 per cent for the financial year 2024–25.
Colonial First State (CFS) has announced solid double-digit returns for its MySuper balanced and growth equivalent funds during the financial year.
The super fund’s Future Saver High Growth option delivered an 11.9 per cent return for the financial year 2024–25, on the back of a diversified portfolio and actively managed investment strategy.
Russell Mason is spot on with his comment & I could not agree more. That Andrew Boal should disagree is exactly the response I would expect from Rice Warner. A little more practical involvement in the day to day administration might change the theoretical views that are so often expressed by Rice Warner.