SUPERANNUATION – AUSTRALIA

Roy Morgan announces 2014 winners of Banking and Finance Satisfaction Awards

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 19-Feb-15

Roy Morgan Research announced the winners of its 2014 Customer Satisfaction Awards for the banking and finance industry on 18 February 2015. P&N Bank was named the Bank of the Year, while the Commonwealth Bank won the award for Major Bank of the Year. Bendigo Bank was named the Business Bank of the Year, Defence Service Homes Insurance took out the award for General Insurer of the Year and ESSSuper received the award for Industry Superannuation Fund of the Year

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, P&N BANK, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, BENDIGO BANK, BENDIGO AND ADELAIDE BANK LIMITED – ASX BEN, DEFENCE SERVICE HOMES INSURANCE SCHEME, ESSSUPER, GREATER BUILDING SOCIETY LIMITED, PEOPLE’S CHOICE CREDIT UNION, CBHS FRIENDLY SOCIETY LIMITED, INSURANCELINE HOLDINGS PTY LTD, NRMA LIMITED, REST SUPER PTY LTD, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, PLUM FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED

Super must do better for women: Corboy

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Original article by Sally Patten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 16 : 16-Feb-15

The assets of the HESTA superannuation fund have increased from $A1.4bn to $A30bn during Anne-Marie Corboy’s 15-year tenure as CEO. The industry super fund for healthcare workers now boasts about 800,000 members. Meanwhile, Corboy says more action is needed to boost the retirement income of women, noting that the super system was not designed to take into account the fact that women typically spend more time out of the workforce than men. Corboy will retire in late February 2015

CORPORATES
HEALTH EMPLOYEES’ SUPERANNUATION TRUST AUSTRALIA LIMITED, THE ASSOCIATION OF SUPERANNUATION FUNDS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, UTILITIES TRUST OF AUSTRALIA, NETBALL AUSTRALIA, MOTHERS DAY CLASSIC FOUNDATION

Change laws to boost women’s super: ASFA

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Original article by Nassim Khadem
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 24 : 13-Nov-14

It is estimated that men have an average of $A197,000 in their superannuation fund upon retirement, compared with just $A105,000 for women. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) has proposed relaxing discrimination laws to permit higher employer contributions to female employees’ super accounts. The ASFA also proposes scrapping the superannuation guarantee income threshold, which is currently set at $A450 per month

CORPORATES
THE ASSOCIATION OF SUPERANNUATION FUNDS OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, CHALLENGER LIMITED – ASX CGF, COLONIAL FIRST STATE GROUP LIMITED, VICSUPER PTY LTD, RICE WARNER ACTUARIES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. SEXUAL DISCRIMINATION COMMISSION

Fund’s bid to cut costs, lift returns

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Original article by Andrew White
The Australian – Page: 19 : 10-Nov-14

The 2014 annual report of industry superannuation fund AustralianSuper shows growth in investment income from $A2.08bn to $A2.9bn and funds under management from $A65bn to $A78bn. Head of equities Innes McKeand also notes that $A8.8bn of the latter has been reallocated to internal managers during the past year, with a target of around $A40bn by 2019. At the moment, all overseas equities are still managed by external providers, such as MFS Institutional Investors, Baillie Gifford Overseas and State Street Global Advisers

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, MFS INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORS (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, BAILLIE GIFFORD AND COMPANY, STATE STREET GLOBAL ADVISORS AUSTRALIA LIMITED, IFM INVESTORS PTY LTD, ISPT PTY LTD, PERPETUAL LIMITED – ASX PPT, FIL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, ALPHINITY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, AIRLIE FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, BENTHAM ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, PORT BOTANY, PORT KEMBLA, QUEENSLAND MOTORWAYS LIMITED, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL

‘Corrupt culture’ in super fund

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Original article by Joanna Mather, Sally Patten
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 6 : 3-Nov-14

Jeremy Stoljar SC, counsel assisting the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance & Corruption, has criticised the Cbus industry superannuation fund. He argued that evidence of members’ details being leaked to the Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union showed an overly close relationship and a "cultural failure". Industry Super Australia CEO David Whiteley rejects any suggestion the leak is symptomatic of practices in the sector generally. Stoljar also recommended criminal charges against some building union officials over an unlawful secondary boycott

CORPORATES
CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. ROYAL COMMISSION INTO TRADE UNION GOVERNANCE AND CORRUPTION, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD, LIS-CON HOLDINGS PTY LTD, INDUSTRY SUPER AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. ATTORNEY-GENERAL’S DEPT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA

Hard times loom for Future Fund

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Original article by Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 21 : 16-Oct-14

David Neal, MD of the Future Fund, has unveiled a 2013-14 rate of return of 14.3% for the Australian Government’s civil service superannuation liabilities manager. This is up from the previous estimate of 13.9%, and follows a result of 15%-plus in 2012-13. However despite further growth of 2.9% in the first quarter of 2014-15, Neal warns that the performance will now level off due to the tapering of quantitative easing and rising interest rates in the US. This was backed by investment strategy and risk head Stephen Gilmore, while chief investment officer Raphael Arndt said the Future Fund may invest in infrastructure assets privatised by state governments

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Higher value Super members rate performance of industry funds ahead of retail funds

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Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 12-Oct-14

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 84.4 per cent of Australians aged 14+ who are members of industry superannuation funds and whose super balance exceeds $A700,000 are satisfied with the financial performance of their fund. Likewise, 76 per cent of retail fund members whose super balance tops $A700,000 are satisfied with their fund. In contrast, just 46.1 per cent of industry fund members and 51.8 per cent of retail fund members whose super balance is less than $A5,000 are satisfied with the financial performance of their fund

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING UNIONS’ SUPERANNUATION FUND, UNISUPER LIMITED, SUNSUPER PTY LTD, REST SUPER PTY LTD, HOST-PLUS, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, FIRST STATE SUPER, HEALTH EMPLOYEES’ SUPERANNUATION TRUST AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Leave RET alone, urge fund managers

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Original article by Andrew Main
The Australian – Page: 19 : 30-Sep-14

One option recommended by business leader Dick Warburton in his review of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) for the Australian Government is to reduce it from 41,000 gigawatt hours by 2020 to between 17,000 and 25,000. However the original RET is being strongly favoured by the Investor Group on Climate Change that represents some $A1trn worth of superannuation fund accounts. The lobbying body, which is chaired by Catholic Super CEO Frank Pegan, has started a public awareness campaign on the issue

CORPORATES
INVESTOR GROUP ON CLIMATE CHANGE, CATHOLIC SUPERANNUATION AND RETIREMENT FUND, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. CLIMATE CHANGE AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP

Hedge funds chase self-managed super billions

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro, Gretchen Friemann
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 12 : 10-Sep-14

There is growing interest in listed investment companies (LICs) in Australia, and hedge funds believe that these investment vehicles may allow them to attract capital from self-managed superannuation funds. Ellerston Capital and Global Wealth Partners are among the hedge funds that have launched investment vehicles that are modelled on LICs. It is estimated that SMSFs now hold some $A550bn

CORPORATES
ELLERSTON CAPITAL PTY LTD, GLOBAL WEALTH PARTNERS FUND LIMITED – ASX GWP, WHITEHAVEN FUNDS, ZG ADVISORS PTY LTD, BLUE SKY CAPITAL INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PERSHING SQUARE CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP, RF CAPITAL PTY LTD

Woolworths’ pub fund lightens load with $603m property sale

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Original article by Ben Wilmot, Richard Gluyas
The Australian – Page: 17 : 9-Sep-14

Real estate funds management group Charter Hall and industry superannuation fund HOSTPLUS will jointly pay $A603m via a new unlisted vehicle to acquire pub assets. The seller of the freehold properties is the ALH Group linked to bottle shops and pubs operator Woolworths. The latter, through its venture with entrepreneur Bruce Mathieson, will lease back the 54 sites. The real estate holdings divestment by Woolworths has now reached $A2.9bn in value

CORPORATES
WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, CHARTER HALL GROUP – ASX CHC, AUSTRALIAN LEISURE AND HOSPITALITY GROUP LIMITED, BRUANDWO PTY LTD, HOST-PLUS, MH CARNEGIE AND COMPANY PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN PUBS FUND, DAN MURPHY’S, BWS – BEER WINE SPIRITS, SHOPPING CENTRES AUSTRALASIA PROPERTY GROUP – ASX SCP, LAUNDY HOTELS PTY LTD, TELSTRA STAFF SUPERANNUATION SCHEME, ALE PROPERTY GROUP – ASX LEP, HOTEL PROPERTIES INVESTMENTS – ASX HPI, COLES GROUP LIMITED, WESFARMERS LIMITED – ASX WES