The Master Builders Australia proposal for the early release of super to address housing affordability is “glib” and “underwhelming”, according to the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA).
ASFA said the proposal did nothing to address the supple side constraints at the heart of housing affordability and would instead channel the retirement savings of young Australians into the hands of speculators and property developers.
The association said the proposal would inflate the price of property by $50,000, which would exacerbate the housing affordability issue.
ASFA chief executive, Dr Martin Fahy, said: “The unemployment crisis faced by vulnerable sectors such as construction, hospitality and retail, requires a co-ordinated and comprehensive fiscal response from the Australian Government.
“With interest rates at an all-time low and government borrowings the lowest in the OECD, Australia needs a Marshall Plan-like stimulus to protect Australians from the scourge of long-term structural unemployment.
“The superannuation industry stands ready to work collaboratively with the Government to fund critical nation-building projects needed to bring about a transformative economic recovery for all Australians, including social and affordable housing.”
Michael Lovett, who left the investment firm just three months after launching its Vanguard Super offering, has taken up a chief executive role at an Australian asset manager.
The Central Bank of Ireland has granted the approval of Equity Trustees’ exit from its Irish operations, with the transaction expected to be complete on 30 April.
Super returns continued to climb in March, raising hopes of delivering double-digit returns by June depending on the performance of this next quarter.
The dedicated super fund for emergency services and Victorian government employees is under fire for unpaid entitlements to transport employees, which could exceed $40 million.
Good work from ASFA here. Master Builders' declining relevance is also shown up here. In Victoria the self interested policy positions are increasingly disjointed and confusing.
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