If there is one thing that almost everyone agrees on, it is that not everything is super with Superannuation. Some call for greater flexibility in the super system, and others say that the system is being rorted by the rich and the rules need to be tightened. Yet the problems and solutions on each side of the debate seem radically different. One side says that we need more super, the other side says we need to abandon the proposed increase in the compulsory super rate. One side says that super governance is dominated by vested interests, particularly the unions, while the other points out that industry super has massively outperformed retail funds.
Should the super guarantee continue to increase to 12%? Is super fit for purpose? Well, it all depends on who you ask. Former CIS researcher Dr Stephen Kirchner called superannuation “Libertarianism Paternalism without the libertarianism”, while CIS Research Director Simon Cowan argues super that super is a bad deal for millennials.
This webinar, How to fix super, involved speakers James Pawluk, Executive Director, Superannuation & Universal Ownership at the McKell Institute and Andrew Bragg, Liberal Senator for New South Wales gave their firm views of the problems with Super and its future direction. CIS Director of Research Simon Cowan, moderated the conversation and raised the question, how will super affect the rise and fall of Australian taxes?