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Wednesday, 29 July - Wednesday, 29 July 2020
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm AEST
If there is one thing that almost everyone agrees on, it is that not everything is super with Superannuation.
Some have called 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.
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?
Andrew Bragg is a Liberal Senator for New South Wales. Prior to his election to Federal Parliament in 2019, Andrew was an author and accountant. Andrew started his career as an accountant at Ernst & Young and went on to work in senior roles at the Financial Services Council and the Business Council of Australia.
James Pawluk is Executive Director, Superannuation & Universal Ownership at the McKell Institute, having previously been its founding Victorian Executive Director. Prior to joining the Institute, James was Manager of Business Development for Australia Post. James has also served as Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to various Federal Cabinet Ministers with experience across areas such as government service delivery, digital transformation, budget processes, policing and customs.
Simon Cowan is Research Director at the CIS. Simon is also Director of the CIS TARGET30 program that aims to reduce government spending to less than 30% of GDP over the next 10 years. He is a leading media commentator on policy and politics, frequently appearing on the Sky network, ABC television and commercial radio. Simon is a regular columnist for The Canberra Times.