Australia’s largest industry superannuation fund, AustralianSuper, has received a hefty fine of $27 million for neglecting to inform members about their duplicate accounts. This ruling was issued by Federal Court Justice Lisa Hespe, who concluded that the company breached the Superannuation Industry Act. From July 2013 to June 2022, over 90,000 members found themselves with multiple accounts that ought to have been consolidated. This oversight resulted in approximately $69 million in losses due to extra administration fees, insurance costs, and lost investment returns.
Justice Hespe expressed dismay at AustralianSuper’s lack of adequate systems to meet legislative requirements. Although the company reported the issue to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in December 2021 and cooperated throughout the investigation, the gravity of the situation warranted significant penalties to deter similar negligence in the future.
AustralianSuper’s CEO, Paul Schroder, publicly apologised, acknowledging the oversight and assuring that victims of this error would be compensated. He noted that the issue of multiple accounts is pervasive within the industry, admitting past inadequacies in their procedures. However, he affirmed that the company has implemented changes to improve their practices and better serve their 3.5 million members.