productivity commission

People & Products

Grattan Institute CEO appointed to lead Productivity Commission

Danielle Wood, chief executive of the Grattan Institute, has been appointed as chair of the Productivity Commission as its previously announced candidate, Chris Barrett, ...

People & Products

Productivity Commission chair appointed

Chris Barrett has been appointed by Treasurer Jim Chalmers as chair of the Productivity Commission to replace Michael Brennan....

People & Products

Productivity Commission chair steps down

The Government is seeking a new chair for the Productivity Commission after Michael Brennan announced he would be stepping down after five years....

Life/Risk

PC recommends increased life insurance funding for mental health

Placing consumers and their treating doctors at the centre of the decision-making process will improve outcomes and reduce the claims costs for life insurers to keep prem...

Features

Ironing out the wrinkles in the Budget’s new super approach

Mike Taylor writes that the Government’s Your Future, Your Super Budget announcement might look good at first blush but contains a number of wrinkles which need to be iro...

Superannuation

Legislation will see super ERFs head for the exit

Legislation will be introduced next year to allow trustees to voluntarily transfer any amount of inactive low balance accounts to the tax office, spelling the beginning o...

Superannuation

Superannuation sector facing enforced consumer advocacy

The Government has moved to dilute what it sees as dominant industry voices by moving to put in place a consumer advocacy body for superannuation....

Expert Analysis

Will the planned super changes ever go ahead?

Senator Jane Hume may have spoken about changes to superannuation but, based on previous experience, writes Graeme Colley, it may be a while until they come to fruition....

Policy & Regulation

Planners are over-burdened and over-regulated

Seven different regulators combined with three different complaints and disciplinary bodies mean that financial planners have been left sinking in a regulatory swamp....

Superannuation

Super members miss out on after-tax alpha

Super funds should tailor their portfolios for pension phase investors to take advantage of after-tax alpha....

Policy & Regulation

ASIC should withdraw its SMSF factsheet

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s SMSF factsheet contains ‘an array of seemingly deliberate inaccuracies’ and should be withdrawn, according to econo...

Financial planning

Grandfathering – ASIC relied on sample-based data

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has admitted that its earlier pronouncements on ending grandfathered commissions was based on sample-sized data....

Policy & Regulation

ASIC still negative on broker commissions

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has signalled its continuing scepticism about mortgage broker commissions while claiming consumer research has valida...

Financial planning

Do advisers face being squeezed out of super?

Will changes to default superannuation arrangements combine with changes to income streams serve to squeeze many advisers out of the superannuation market?...

Superannuation

AIST precipitates APRA’s separation of superannuation

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees flagged that superannuation needed different treatment to other institutions by the Australian Prudential Regulation A...