This Month
Canadian suitor clucks at Aware’s $1b-plus chicken producer, ProTen
ProTen is being courted by Canada’s Northleaf, US private equity giant KKR and Sydney’s Roc Partners.
Superannuation bosses submit their US travel bills
They may not have been staying at luxury hotels, but fund bosses still racked up some tidy bills on Kevin Rudd’s US superannuation junket.
The country’s big super funds are reaching their ASX investing limit
AustralianSuper expects to hit an effective cap on how much it can invest in the local market and make good returns. Its peers are also looking overseas.
Why super fund investment calls are about more than next quarter’s returns
What’s at the heart of a super fund’s investment strategy? Capital allocation. And the better it allocates that capital, the better for all of us.
January
Big super to keep pushing companies on climate
New climate disclosure laws mean even retail super funds will engage with companies on climate this year. Poor workplace safety and governance is also a concern.
Super admits its size is a risk but says ‘what is the alternative?’
The managers of Australia’s $4.1 trillion retirement savings pool say they are best placed to invest in banks and private lending despite warnings from the RBA and IMF.
Top super investors dash pre-election rate cut hopes
But they say investors should be optimistic about inflation easing despite later cuts and risks associated with Donald Trump taking the White House.
December 2024
How big super is spending your money on sponsorship and marketing
Jumps in advertising spends at industry giants such as Aware Super and UniSuper came despite a crackdown by the watchdog questioning whether these costs are in members’ best interests.
November 2024
AustralianSuper pays members back $4.2m over claims handling delays
The industry super giant is voluntarily compensating the loved ones of deceased members after an overhaul of its claims handling processes imposed tough new timelines.
Australia’s most complained about super funds revealed
Embattled construction industry fund Cbus topped the list of major funds, new data shows, but complaints across the sector jumped last financial year.
How Aware Super beat the sector’s reputation for bad customer service
The $180 billion super fund invested in service and advice before regulators forced it to. As the rest of the industry now scrambles to catch up, it’s eyeing bigger plans.
How to give customers and investors what they want
Meeting the expectations of increasingly demanding customers while satisfying investors with strong returns requires more than just good intentions.
Aware Super’s $200m Brisbane tower deal to revive bruised market
The $180 billion fund is in talks to buy the Ann Street tower. If completed as expected, it will be the first office deal there by a local super fund in five years.
October 2024
Super funds fork out $423m in marketing blitz
Superannuation funds spent millions of members’ retirement savings on marketing, including sponsorships of AFL and NRL clubs.
APRA reveals $10.8b spending by super funds but rules out blacklists
The regulator considered a blanket ban on funds making payments to unions or advertisers, but decided against it.
Big super pushes boards on culture after WiseTech, MinRes dramas
Industry superannuation funds are ramping up their focus on the culture of the companies they invest in as scandals wipe billions off corporate valuations.
Victoria’s $8b black box, stamped confidential
In 2022, pandemic-indebted Victoria sold its motor registry to a consortium led by Macquarie Bank. Two years later there is not much to show for it, and the secretive registry is free from scrutiny.
Big super’s executive gender pay gap revealed
Analysis by The Australian Financial Review also shows who the highest-paid superannuation bosses were last year.
Mystery investor revealed in Macquarie, Aware’s $6b tilt for TPG fibre
Should the deal proceed as expected, UniSuper stands to emerge as an indirect minority owner of Vocus, taken private by MAM and Aware for $3.5 billion in 2021.
AustralianSuper ESG option invested in nuclear weapons: report
Australia’s 14 biggest superannuation funds are investing about $3.4 billion in nuclear weapons despite many promising to avoid controversial arms.