Latest news
Low- and middle-income retirees better off by more than $11,000 each year thanks to super
27/08/2025
A landmark new report finds new middle and low-income retirees in the middle wealth group have been the biggest beneficiaries of compulsory super, with an extra $11,388 to spend each year on things they need or love like living costs, holidays and making memories with family.
Fixing the Friction: SMC welcomes progress on regulatory reform
22/08/2025
This week’s Economic Reform Roundtable in Canberra thoughtfully considered some of the regulatory inefficiencies and distortions that have built up in Australia’s super system over time. The Super Members Council (SMC) welcomes the consensus that emerged on the need to simplify and avoid duplication in super regulation to cut costs borne by members – the millions of everyday Australians with their retirement savings in the system.
Retirement Revolution: Super’s Coming of Age
15/08/2025
Last week, SMC released a first-of-its-kind analysis of the super system that showed something both striking and unremarkable: the biggest beneficiaries of more than three decades of super have been middle to low income workers — which is exactly what was intended. The report, Retirement Revolution: Super’s Coming of Age, uses HILDA and ABS data to track the income and wealth of recent retirees over three decades.
Why retirement phase super must be measured
29/07/2025
Retirement is not a single journey — it’s millions of different ones. Each retiree’s path is shaped by their health, housing, family, lifestyle, and financial needs. What’s clear is that retirees need more from their super than they did during the accumulation phase. In retirement, super must shift from being a savings vehicle to a reliable source of income, stability, and confidence. This means we need to both measure the quality of retirement phase products, and we need better tools to assess their quality.
Why payday super laws can’t wait
24/07/2025
When Coco* asked her former boss why she hadn’t been paid her super, she was told “not to worry, it’s paid quarterly”. But as time went by, and with red flags flying ominously, she felt helpless. Despite months of enquiries and reassurances that payment would come, her worst fears were realised when her employer went into liquidation. This left her and colleagues without thousands of dollars in super payments they had earned and were legally owed.
Recommendations for reform across multiple sectors to address financial abuse
09/12/2024
On Thursday, a parliamentary inquiry made a unanimous set of recommendations for reform across multiple sectors including superannuation, to address financial abuse. Included was a recommended law change to stop abusers from receiving their victim’s super.