Industry associations have in the main welcomed the government’s response to the proposals set out in the Cooper review.
Successful implementation of the reforms – called Stronger Super – should raise national savings, address adequacy and create certainty, Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia chief executive Pauline Vamos said.
She said MySuper would provide a “ring fence of protection” for those members who do not want to engage with their super.
“The reforms are about recognising that Australians are not all the same and that all types of members, engaged or disengaged, pre or post-retirement, should receive optimal outcomes,” she said.
But Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) chief executive Richard Klipin said he was concerned that MySuper had maintained a philosophy which accepted that some people are disengaged from their super.
“Rather than seek to get people engaged with their super, the government has headed down a paternalistic path,” Klipin said.
However, he welcomed the notion of “opting out” of life and total and permanent disablement insurance within MySuper.
“This is of great interest because in the Future of Financial Advice reforms we are talking about opting in, yet in Stronger Super we are talking about opting out,” he said.
“The AFA has been arguing long and hard that opting out is in the best interests of consumers because they are informed and are discerning.”
FPA chief executive Mark Rantall said the government’s announcement alone would not provide retirement adequacy for Australians.
“Government needs to look at the whole package and this includes access to professional financial advice, which along with consumer education and awareness, will make the real difference in increasing Australians’ superannuation and retirement benefits,” he said.
Industry Super Network (ISN) chief executive David Whiteley said the MySuper superannuation changes were an endorsement of the low-cost, commission-free, not-for-profit model.
“MySuper prohibits some of the most inappropriate practices in our compulsory system such as payment of commissions to financial planners where no advice is provided, flipping, and the payment of commissions by members for financial advice given to employers,” he said.
The government said it accepted 139 of the 177 recommendations contained in the Cooper review. Superannuation funds will be allowed to provide MySuper products from 1 July 2013.
