ASB academic appointed to Superannuation Roundtable

Monday, 6 February 2012 Features

An Australian School of Business academic has been appointed to an influential position on the Government's Superannuation Roundtable.

Associate Professor Hazel Bateman, Director of the Centre for Pensions and Superannuation at the University of New South Wales, has been selected for the panel given her expertise in superannuation policy in the key areas of tax and retirement benefits.

"The superannuation tax concessions are currently poorly targeted and somewhat ineffective in increasing additional voluntary contributions, while the decumulation phase of the superannuation system is still largely undeveloped," she said.

The Superannuation Roundtable will build on ideas raised at the 2011 Tax Forum about providing Australians with more options in retirement and improving superannuation concessions. The Roundtable will discuss better ways to target and deliver tax concessions for retirement savers as well as examine proposals to expand retirement income stream options, to include products such as variable and deferred annuities.

Other members of the roundtable include representatives from the superannuation industry, small business, employees and the community sector, as well as technical experts and academics.

The roundtable will chaired by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Minister for Financial Services and Superannuation, the Hon. Bill Shorten MP.