Wayne Swan’s relentless positivity about under-fire super fund Cbus might actually have an upside

Cbus chair Wayne Swan at the super fund’s annual members’ meeting in 2024.

Perhaps Cbus chairman Wayne Swan’s relentless positivity has an upside at the under-fire industry superannuation fund.

Criticised for its relationship with the CFMEU, mishandling death benefits claims and sundry other governance issues, the former federal treasurer has been a stalwart defender of the fund’s performance.

And it’s possible that’s having an effect, according to takeaways from a presentation by Cbus head of business risk and compliance, member and employer experience Michael Jones to the Governance Institute of Australia conference on Friday.

To be fair, Jones only joined Cbus in mid 2024, so he wasn’t anywhere near the joint when the fund’s problems began.

But at least one salutary lesson comes from his presentation – leadership is everything.

“Tone from the top is everything. The executive board, the signals that they send and the accountability that they take on, is everything,” he told the conference.

Make of that what you will.