<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/sunland-group">Sunland Group</a> has officially lodged plans for its first Gold Coast apartment project since the departure of the Abedian family from the company three years ago, unveiling a new high-rise proposal for a prominent Broadbeach corner site on Old Burleigh Road.

The application was submitted by an entity directed by Tom Jamieson, stepson of longtime Sunland leader Soheil Abedian, and Riaz Rezvanipour, brother-in-law of Sahba Abedian, Soheil’s son.

Sunland acquired the 1,283 sqm site on the corner of Old Burleigh Road and Armrick Avenue for $9.5 million late last year and is now seeking approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/99-101-old-burleigh-road-broadbeach-qld-4218">42-storey tower with 81 apartments</a>.

<img alt="First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fea2946d-90ee-4cfc-babe-2a8ad5db2cb6" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers.png?VersionId=BV0fihJw31nDIQ8ozY_h3GbS8mxDyhnm" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/contreras-earl-architecture">Contreras Earl Architecture</a>, the proposed tower at 99-101 Old Burleigh Road would deliver a predominantly larger-format apartment mix aimed at the owner-occupier market. Plans include 17 two-bedroom apartments, 55 three-bedroom apartments, and nine four-bedroom residences across 35 residential levels.

The development also incorporates three basement levels, four podium parking levels, two levels of communal recreation facilities, and rooftop plant and equipment. A total of 189 car spaces are proposed, significantly exceeding the 90 spaces required under the planning scheme.

The architecture adopts a sculpted, curvilinear form, with deep wraparound balconies and integrated landscaping intended to soften the tower’s vertical expression. The planning report states the building’s “slender footprint/form provides a complimentary yet varied built form within the local streetscape” and contributes to “a varied, yet ordered skyline.”

Contreras Earl noted in its Architectural Statement that from the early stages, the project addressed a fundamental challenge: how to accommodate the required residential yield while avoiding the conventional model of a tower sitting on a rigid, fully resolved parking podium.

“The most direct response would have been to consolidate parking into a singular, flat podium and extrude a repetitive tower above,” the statement said. “While efficient, this approach would result in a consolidated built form with limited engagement with the surrounding landscape and public realm.”

Instead, the conventional podium model was “deliberately rejected”. The architects described the base of the building as “a landscaped architectural condition where structure, planting and circulation are integrated”.

“Rather than presenting a continuous built mass, the base of the building is articulated through a series of concrete planter elements that organise the podium into a fragmented system,” the statement said. “This approach reduces the perceived bulk of the lower levels while establishing a more permeable interface with the streetscape and adjacent open space.”

<img alt="Sunland" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="923fad8d-c960-4527-8fbe-975cf1ddf88d" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%2010.32.03%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=pngwb0hYOIUpq9vDw6F2EsOiVuHF3DiX" />

&nbsp;

The site sits within the High Density Residential Zone and inside the City of Gold Coast’s unrestricted “HX” building height area, where the planning framework anticipates intensified residential development tied to the expanding light rail corridor. The planning report notes the area is undergoing “transition toward more intense development forms” given its proximity to Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise, and high-frequency public transport infrastructure.

Positioned directly opposite Broadbeach Park and within walking distance of Florida Gardens light rail station, the development would sit among a rapidly evolving stretch of Old Burleigh Road that has become one of the Gold Coast’s most active apartment development corridors.

The application joins a growing pipeline of luxury residential projects reshaping Broadbeach, including nearby developments by 5Point Projects, Polycell, and Graya.

The planning report argues the project contributes toward the Gold Coast’s long-term housing targets under the South East Queensland Regional Plan, which forecasts the need for more than 100,000 additional high-rise dwellings across the city by 2046.

<section data-scroll-anchor="false" data-testid="conversation-turn-4" data-turn="assistant" data-turn-id="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" data-turn-id-container="request-WEB:84a2af5e-d7cf-4ddf-922a-f4d44d6c6caa-1" dir="auto">
The Abedian family departed Sunland Group in late 2023, ending a four-decade association with the company, and subsequently established the private development firm Abedian &amp; Co. The group is currently delivering <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/greenmount-residences-cnr-hill-street-and-marine-parade-coolangatta-qld-4225">Greenmount Residences</a> at Rainbow Bay and recently launched <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/18-mary-avenue-14-18-mary-avenue-broadbeach-qld-4218">18 Mary Avenue</a> in Broadbeach.
</section>

Joel Robinson

First look: Sunland Group returns to Broadbeach new apartment market with new Old Burleigh Road tower plans

The Minns Labor Government has established the new Bays West Delivery Authority to lead the development&nbsp;of the Bays West Precinct and Blackwattle Bay Precinct.&nbsp;

The Authority is charged with creating Sydney’s newest precinct, a thriving, connected, sustainable hub with White Bay Power Station as its cultural heart. Its vision is to build on the area’s natural, cultural and industrial history to shape a vibrant new neighbourhood.

The precinct will deliver up to 8,500 well-located homes, including a minimum of 10 per cent affordable and essential worker homes. Combine new housing with public open space, opening public access to the waterfront for the first time in more than 100 years, while retaining important deep-water facilities to support Sydney’s working harbour.

Located just minutes from the Sydney CBD and connected to a world-class metro, ferry, walking and cycling links, the Bays West precinct will rebalance housing growth towards well-serviced inner-city locations and help tackle the state’s housing crisis.

The Bays West Delivery Authority,&nbsp;an agency of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, will report to the NSW Minister for Lands and Property who already has oversight of major precinct renewal projects including at Blackwattle Bay and Barangaroo.

As part of the broader Bays West transformation, the Minns Government recently announced that a proposal from Lendlease to redevelop part of the Bays West Precinct has progressed to Stage 2 of the NSW Government’s unsolicited proposals process.

<img alt="Sydney" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2ed71eb9-d8e8-4fa7-b9d1-de4531dcf2f3" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Screenshot%202026-05-25%20at%209.42.31%E2%80%AFAM.png?VersionId=IDryFIbped9SNDg72LEN_EecvhUsOPvp" />

The Minns Labor Government has also confirmed the Bays West precinct will have a new suburb name. This will be the first major suburb built in close proximity to Sydney’s CBD in decades and will encompass the area currently being referred to as Bays West, including Glebe Island and the White Bay Power Station. Served by a new Metro station just five minutes from the CBD, it will become one of the most populous suburbs in the Inner West and one of Sydney’s premier cultural destinations.

An early works program is taking shape, which&nbsp;includes the first stages of an international design competition.&nbsp;

The aim of the Bays West&nbsp;International&nbsp;Design Competition is to&nbsp;ensure design excellence is embedded in the project from the start. The competition will deliver an&nbsp;urban framework that defines the character, ambition and long-term identity of&nbsp;this&nbsp;former industrial precinct as it transitions to a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable residential&nbsp;neighbourhood.

The competition will be led by the Bays West Delivery Authority in partnership with Government Architect NSW.&nbsp;

It will launch with an invitation for a global Expressions of Interest, before moving to an invitation-only stage that will be assessed by a panel that&nbsp;will provide advice to Cabinet who will select a winner.

Premier of NSW, Chris Minns said the establishment of the new Authority is the first step in transforming the Bays West precinct into a vibrant, livable suburb minutes from the Sydney CBD and two stops from Hunter St Station on the Metro West line.

“The Authority will deliver well-located homes close to the heart of the city and integrate the new precinct with Blackwattle Bay and the new Sydney Fish Market.

“This is a generational opportunity to build a new suburb on the city’s edge and open the harbour foreshore to the public for the first time in a century.”&nbsp;

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said the new Bays West Delivery Authority established by the Minns Government will turbocharge the development of Sydney’s newest suburb.

“The Authority is working at a record pace to deliver an international design competition, planning pathways and a financial model so that this development benefits Sydney with well-designed homes in a central location, close to public transport, jobs, entertainment and essential services.

“If we want Sydney to stay liveable and affordable, we need to be bold about using underutilised government-owned land to deliver homes for the future while making sure essential working harbour functions can be accommodated.”

Bays West Delivery Authority established to "turbocharge" Sydney’s newest suburb

Around 400 additional homes could be built at Southwark Grounds on Port Road, lifting total site capacity from 1300 to around 1700 dwellings.

A recently approved code amendment would allow apartment towers of up to 14 storeys in some areas of Renewal SA’s redevelopment of the former West End Brewery.

Renewal SA Acting Chief Executive Shane Wingard said he welcomed the code amendment, with the increase in heights and homes making a positive impact on the supply of high-quality, well-connected housing close to the city.

“By going higher across some parts of Southwark Grounds, we are adding a substantial number of very well-located homes with little impact on project delivery time or planned open space,” Mr Wingard said.

Since the project officially launched in 2025, Mr Wingard said more than 12,000 enquiries had been received about living at Southwark Grounds.

“The very strong early interest we’ve seen since homes were first released in the precinct reinforces our plans to create more housing opportunities,” he said.

The Southwark Grounds code amendment was launched in December last year, with community engagement undertaken over five weeks from January.

It proposed increasing maximum building heights from eight to 14 storeys on the eastern section of Southwark Grounds, and to 12 storeys across the remainder of the site, with minimum building heights ranging from two to four storeys.

The code amendment was implemented through an Early Commencement policy in late January, allowing developers to quickly explore the viability of increased height and housing yield while other planning processes continue.

One of the first developers delivering apartment sites have already finalised redesigns to increase the number of apartments following the code amendment.

Samaras’ development adjacent to the future Colonel Light Park is now planning to deliver 125 apartments across 11 storeys, significantly greater than original plans of around 50 apartments across four storeys.

The developer is also exploring the potential for additional affordable housing outcomes.

Most of the apartments at Southwark Grounds will be delivered within a master-planned precinct on a large parcel of land on the eastern portion of the site, covering around two-thirds of its 8.4 hectares.

Wingard said detailed precinct planning over the coming months may identify further opportunities to increase yield further that could see total apartment numbers at Southwark Grounds, exceed this number.

Affordable homes at Southwark Grounds will also see a net increase, with Renewal SA maintaining its commitment to a minimum of 20 per cent affordable housing across the development.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Civil works have begun across the site, with construction under way on the first new roads surrounding a townhouse precinct in the south‑west corner of Southwark Grounds. This includes Renewal SA’s 17 Founder’s Row homes, which are on track for completion by Christmas.

“We expect to have people living at Southwark Grounds by the end of the year, so delivering roads and public spaces for those residents is among our highest priorities.”

Construction of 40 townhouses off Anderson Street, known as West Village and being delivered by Contour, is forecast to begin in mid‑2026. Kolabb’s Anderson Lane development will follow shortly after, delivering a further 26 townhouses.

Southwark Grounds is a state government‑led urban renewal project now set to deliver around 1,700 homes over the next decade.

Homes will be supported by a supermarket, a range of retail and hospitality offerings anchored by a revitalised Walkerville Brew Tower, a childcare centre, car parking and well‑connected public spaces.

400 new homes planned for Adelaide's former West End Brewery site

Brisbane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/cavcorp">Cavcorp</a> has lodged plans for a new mixed-use residential development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/55-wyandra-street-teneriffe-qld-4005">55 Wyandra Street</a>, Teneriffe, anchored by an 85-metre public laneway designed to reconnect the suburb’s riverfront with the Gasworks precinct.

The buildings, known as Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane, would replace the existing Queensland Cotton head office site with a 15-storey residential tower transitioning to eight storeys toward Helen Street. The project has been designed by Plazibat Architects and lodged as a code assessable development application for 93 apartments across a 3,401 sqm mixed-use site within the Newstead and Teneriffe Waterfront neighbourhood plan.

Central to the scheme is the transformation of an existing service easement into a publicly accessible cross-block connection linking Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the new laneway will act as both a pedestrian shortcut and a landscaped civic space between the Teneriffe Riverwalk, ferry terminal, and Gasworks precinct.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="26e7f058-b065-4de8-b13d-a2b8cb64dfcc" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/bldg.png?VersionId=sELS0ZKYi361oYipUa1BIKfe_.DLZoFV" />

“The revised proposal delivers a legacy public-realm cross-block link, permanently secured for community use, transforming an existing private easement into a safe, high-quality pedestrian connection between the Teneriffe heritage riverwalk and the Gasworks–Long Island precinct,” the planning report states.

The laneway will sit beneath a large subtropical loggia integrated into the podium levels of the development. The design incorporates deep landscaping, water gardens, lobby spaces, business lounges, and ground-floor apartments to create what Cavcorp describes as a climate-responsive “urban verandah.”

The tower itself has been designed as a slender form with recessed floorplates and curved translucent corners inspired by contemporary Japanese architecture. The building height aligns with the Commercial Road precinct controls, which permit towers up to 15 storeys within proximity to Longland Street.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a8a17d40-43b6-4718-b3fd-67676fcbb485" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/pers%202_1.png?VersionId=i3VwDtp5AmL_8InW7w4qRbDFEpb744Jt" />

The project will comprise a mix of larger-format apartments aimed at owner-occupiers, downsizers, and families. The proposed apartment mix includes 11 loggia apartments across the lower levels, 50 four-bedroom Sky-Terrace apartments from levels three to seven, and 32 Sky-Pool Homes occupying the upper tower levels. The Sky-Pool Homes will feature private thermal plunge pools integrated into oversized balconies.

According to the application, the apartments are intended to reinterpret the scale and character of Teneriffe’s woolstore conversions and Queensland homes within a vertical residential format.

“The sky-pool homes build on Cavcorp’s previous projects and introduce a distinct apartment typology to Teneriffe, informed by both local and international precedent and responding to an identified market demand for enhanced safety, space and amenity,” the planning submission notes.

A major focus of the proposal is its five-level wellness and lifestyle offering, extending from the basement through to the rooftop.

Amenities proposed include a rooftop Swim &amp; Racquet Club with a 25-metre Olympic lap pool and tennis court, coworking spaces and libraries, golf simulators, wine storage, concierge facilities, business lounges, pet wash areas, and rooftop longevity-focused wellness spaces with spas, outdoor fitness zones, and landscaped terraces.

<img alt="First Look: Cavcorp unveils Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane plans for landmark wellness tower in Teneriffe" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="944b352c-49b9-4247-a4c6-5967b4b69fda" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/amenity.png?VersionId=Ed_qKjAtMwFT.5gfl3jiA9QwdWxSMsaX" />

All parking will be concealed within basement levels accessed from Wyandra and Helen Streets. Cavcorp says the deep-basement engineering approach allows the entire ground plane to prioritise landscaping, pedestrian movement, and active frontage rather than vehicle infrastructure.

The development continues Cavcorp’s concentration in Newstead and Teneriffe, where the Brisbane developer has delivered a number of apartment projects including Lucent, Le Bain, and Luminare, as well as the Long Island Wellness Precinct nearby. Several of those projects have received national design and architecture awards, including recognition under Brisbane’s “Buildings that Breathe” program.

Cavcorp unveils wellness-focused Teneriffe House and Teneriffe Lane apartment buildings

Focus Group Investments has lodged plans for a new apartment development at <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/64-70-hanover-street-fitzroy-vic-3065">64–70 Hanover Street</a> in Fitzroy, seeking to utilise the Victorian Government’s recently introduced Great Design Fast Track pathway to accelerate approvals for the project.

The proposal is among the latest developments to emerge through the state-led initiative, which was established to fast-track well-designed residential projects in activity centres and transport-connected inner-city locations. The pathway allows qualifying developments that meet elevated design and housing benchmarks to bypass traditional council planning timeframes and instead be assessed directly by the Department of Transport and Planning.

Designed by SJB, the development will comprise a mix of apartments above activated lower levels, with a strong focus on architectural articulation, landscaping, and communal amenity. The design response seeks to balance the industrial character of Richmond’s former warehouse precincts with a more contemporary residential form.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="abea51cc-d85b-479e-9aef-a589f3b37ca7" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/ground.png?VersionId=e1Kf8EyPWwyiVumtqQ4rM5S4GpOR3CCz" />

Proposed are 63 new dwellings, a wide ranging mix of studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, and townhouses and duplexes. They will be spread across a part-three, part-eight storey building.

The Planning and Urban Context Report by Tract says the development is of an "exemplary architectural standard" and has been carefully crafted by SJB Architects.

"Dwellings&nbsp;will benefit from excellent access to natural light, cross-ventilation opportunities and extensive communal space," the report noted.

The architectural material highlights the project’s integration of landscaped elements and communal spaces throughout the building. The proposal also incorporates sustainability initiatives aligned with the Victorian Government’s push for higher-performing apartment developments under the fast-track program.

The Great Design Fast Track was unveiled by the Victorian Government in 2024 as part of a broader housing supply strategy aimed at accelerating the delivery of new homes. Projects assessed through the pathway must demonstrate high-quality architecture, sustainability outcomes, and housing diversity while being located close to public transport and existing infrastructure.

<img alt="First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Richmond apartments" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afdbe834-8dc4-4a77-a943-ba07bc927348" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/site_11.png?VersionId=0J657j.TaChAZfp93wqJYBTqSsnREJx2" />

Focus Group, founder and led by Paul De Lutiis, is increasingly active across Melbourne’s inner suburbs, targeting well-connected urban renewal locations suited to medium and higher-density residential development. The Fitzroy proposal continues that strategy, leveraging the area’s strong transport links, established retail amenity, and proximity to the CBD.

Fitzroy has been one of the most popular spots for developers and buyers in recent years. The likes of PACE Development Group, SMA Projects, Crema Group and Chapter Group, currently selling projects in the suburb.

First look: Focus Group Investments taps Victoria’s Great Design Fast Track for Fitzroy apartments

Smsfs

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As 1 July fast approaches, we take a look at how you can make the most of your self-managed super fund before the end of the financial year and how you can avoid being hit with a <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/superannuation/42288-self-managed-super-funds-top-tips-from-the-ato">penalty from the tax man</a>.
1. Be aware contribution caps are changing
On 1 July, the Australian Tax Office is changing the amount you’re allowed to contribute to your SMSF and the age you’re allowed to do it, for both concessional and non-concessional contributions.
Kathy Evans, principal of superannuation and SMSF at Crowe Horwath, said concessional contributions, or deductable contributions, are employer contributions that include those made under a salary sacrifice arrangement. For people who are self-employed, it includes personal contributions claimed as a tax deduction.
“At the moment with concessional contributions, anyone aged under 60 can currently put in up to $25,000 per annum, while those over 60 can put in $35,000,” says Evans.
She says the ATO is bringing the contribution age down to 50 for the next financial year (2014-15).
Evans says if you’re in that category, from 1 July your contributions cap will go up to $35,000. For those under 50, the cap goes up from $25,000 to $30,000.
Non-concessional contributions are personal contributions that you don't claim as an income tax deduction, and Evans says they will also go up from 1 July.
“Non-concessional and non-deductive contributions at the moment are capped at $150,000 per annum for everyone who’s eligible to make them,” says Evans. “That $150,000 is going up to $180,000 from 1 July.”
2. The superannuation guarantee rate is also going up 
Currently, employers must pay a minimum of 9.25% super guarantee to SMSFs. From 1 July, the rate will increase to 9.50%.
Brad Twentyman, director of superannuation at Pitcher Partners, said that rise has the potential to affect salary sacrifice contribution arrangements.
“You need to factor in that your employer will be obliged to contribute 9.5% instead of 9.25% and with an increased obligation on your employer to contribute, your voluntary component may reduce,” says Twentyman.
Graeme Colley, director of technical and professional standards at the SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia, said: “If you want to maximise your contributions before 30 June, you need to talk to your accountant or professional adviser to make sure your salary sacrifice agreement with your employer allows the maximum to be salary sacrificed.”
Twentyman says it is also important for employers to note the change in superannuation guarantee, to protect themselves from any possible claims of compensations that may arise from over contributing.
“As an employer, if you’re aware that your employee might contribute above the contribution limits, it would be prudent to point out to the employee that they might want to seek some advice. If they think there’s a problem, employers should get on the front foot,” says Twentyman.
3. Watch out for the new penalty regime from 1 July
There has been a lot of talk about the new powers the ATO will have to penalise those who fall foul of its rules. The new penalty regime will be introduced from 1 July and will apply to breaches that remain outstanding as of 30 June.
“If you’re a trustee of a SMSF, you’ve always had obligations to run your fund the way it should be run or you run the risk of upsetting the ATO,” says Evans. “And they’ve also always had the ability to penalise you. But they haven’t had a regime that’s strong enough to stop some people doing the wrong thing.”
Of the 18,000 SMSF contraventions lodged with the ATO in the last financial year, approximately 50% could have incurred penalties based on the proposed new super laws.
“If you are aware there’s a breach within your SMSF and you’re in the position to fix that breach by 30 June, it’s a good idea to do so,” says Twentyman. “Because if you tick over into 1 July, you will be penalised and you’ll need to go to the ATO with cap in hand.”
These breaches include:
<ul>
<li>bank accounts going into overdraft;</li>
<li>failure to get accounts and returns prepared;</li>
<li>providing loans to family members from your SMSF;</li>
<li>investments being made into in-house assets which are not solely for the SMSF;</li>
<li>SMSF assets not being separated from personal assets;</li>
<li>taking money from the fund for living; and</li>
<li>incorrect borrowing structures being established for the purchase of assets by a SMSF.</li>
</ul>
“These penalties are mainly for the more serious breaches of investment restrictions, but they do also apply to the administrative functions a trustee is expected to complete,” says Evans.
The penalties for many of these breaches have gone up to $10,200 per trustee per transaction, so a SMSF with two trustees would be looking at a potential fine of $20,400. 
The penalty for lodging your SMSF accounts by 30 June has also increased.
“If you haven’t done your 2013-14 accounts by 30 June, there’s a possibility that the ATO will be imposing a penalty on trustees that could be up to $1700,” says Twentyman.
“At the moment the non-lodgement fee is a few hundred dollars, and in fact the ATO will probably be looking to impose that and then they’ll come along and impose this new penalty,” he says.
4. Don’t risk being declared a non-person
Non-lodging SMSFs will be declared a non-person for tax purposes if they’ve been slack with their lodgements.
“If you have a SMSF and you haven’t lodged a tax return for two or more years, they will classify your fund as a non-person,” says Evans.
“That means your fund won’t be able to receive contributions, rollovers or transfers,” she says. “In other words, if you’re in that situation and you’re well behind on your reporting, your fund will effectively stop being able to operate.”
The figure for concessional contributions for people over 60 has been corrected since publication from $30,000 to $35,000.
Story continues on page 2. Please click below.
<hr class="system-pagebreak">
5. Remember the ‘bring forward’ rule
With non-concessional contributions, if you are under 65, you can currently put $150,000 in a year to your SMSF, but the ATO also allows you to put in three years at once.
“So you can put in $450,000 in one fell swoop,” says Evans. “Then you just can’t do anything for the next two years.”
From 1 July, the bring forward rule becomes $540,000, or three times the new non-concessional contribution cap of $180,000.
Twentyman says Pitcher Partners are not big advocates of this strategy because in most incidences all it does is give a timing advantage.
“But if your marginal tax rate is going to be significantly less next year than this year, you may look at bringing forward a deduction, but from our experience not that many individuals fall within category,” he says.
6. Don’t exceed your minimum or maximum pension withdrawals
“If you’re on a pension in your super fund, make sure you withdraw your minimum pension that you’re required to take out each year,” says Evans. “In some cases, there’s also a maximum limit you can’t go over.”
Minimum and maximum pensions from SMSFs have to be paid by 30 June if you want to avoid paying tax on them.
“If you don’t pay by 30 June, the risk is the government will take away the tax exemption on the fund and that can be significant, there can be thousands of dollars at risk,” says Twentyman.
Colley says if you are eligible to draw amounts from superannuation, you may be able to defer receiving the amount until after you reach the age of 60, or until a later financial year when you may end up paying a lower rate of tax.
7. Get your trust entitlements paid by 30 June
“A lot of self-managed super funds have investments in trusts and those trusts owe the super funds money,” says Twentyman.
“Generally, it is a good idea for the trust to pay whatever it owes by 30 June because the tax office sometimes likes to view those as loans and that can cause compliance issues,” he says.
8. Employers beware of SuperStream by 2015
The ATO is putting in place a new system that aims to standardise the way employers pay super.
The new SuperStream standard will require all SMSFs to be paid electronically and is <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/superannuation/42145-smes-to-be-hit-by-super-delay" target="_blank">coming in gradually over the next few years</a>.
Evans says many employers still lodge their employee’s super by sending checks or banking it at the local bank.
Large and medium-sized employers, or those with 20 or more employees, must complete the implementation of SuperStream by no later than 30 June, 2015.
“If you’re a larger employer, you should have looked out for the SuperStream changes and made arrangements by May 31,” says Colley. Large employers were supposed to get new electronic service numbers to pay their employees electronically by the end of May.
Small employers, or those with 19 or fewer employees, have another year starting from 1 July, 2015 but must complete their implementation no later than 30 June, 2016. 
Small businesses may be eligible to use the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House, which is a free online service provided by the ATO that allows you to pay contributions to a single destination in one simple electronic transaction. 
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/" target="_blank">SmartCompany</a>.
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po-LsXgBTHBmX

Eight things you need to know to get your SMSF ready for the end of financial year

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Nyko Property director Bill Nikolouzakis has attributed his company's 90% increase in sales in Melbourne in the 2014 financial year to buoyant property market conditions.
However, they sell through 228 intermediaries, with 73% in the financial services industry. This includes mortgage brokers, accountants and financial planners, with the other 27% being a mix of local and offshore estate agents.
“In particular, we had a very busy second half of the year (January-June) following the 46% increase in sales in the 2013 financial year, with demand from the SMSF sector playing a key role,” said Nikolouzakis.
Of their sales, 69% were made by the financial services sector. These were predominantly sales of townhouses and small apartment complexes in Melbourne’s suburbs.
The increase in demand from those selling property in the financial services is down to two points, he says.
This includes the financial services industry increasingly embracing direct property as an investment option, and SMSF trustees becoming more attracted to residential property.
A drop in SMSF investment, to 28% in 2014 financial year compared to 36% in the 2013 financial year, does not have impacted their overall positive views of the market.
“SMSF property investment is being driven by clients of accountancy and financial advisory firms and will continue to be a strong growth area for Nyko Property, despite the slight 8% drop in sales,” he said.
“While we might not see such a high increase in SMSF property investment as we did in 2013, we expect it to continue to be about 30% of our business,” he said.
“One in seven Australians invest in property so financial planners, accountants and mortgage brokers are starting to understand their SMSF clients are investing in property – with or without their advice.
“For those advisors who can value add for their clients by ensuring they are giving strategic advice both in terms of the property acquisition itself, as well as how it dovetails with the client’s investment portfolio, will benefit from growing investor interest in residential property,” he said.
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Financial services industry increasingly selling property, SMSFs playing a key role: Nyko Property

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Property investors are increasingly using self-managed super funds (SMSF) as low cost investment vehicles.  
But recent moves by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) serve as a helpful reminder to SMSF investors that nothing comes for free.  
ASIC issued three infringement notices to Esuperfund Pty Ltd for false or misleading online advertising. The online SMSF establishment and administration service provider has paid $30,600 in penalties after it ran advertisements and articles that misrepresented the costs and benefits of using its services or SMSFs.  The three statements ran between 31 January 2014 and 8 May 2014.
ASIC was concerned that one advertisement implied that Esuperfund clients would not pay any fees or costs when establishing a SMSF in 2014, while another article, entitled '9 Benefits of Setting Up A Self Managed Super Fund' misrepresented the costs associated with SMSFs in comparison to retail and industry superannuation funds.  
According to ASIC, a third advertisement falsely claimed that ASIC reviewed Esuperfund's operations yearly to make sure it was complying with its legal obligations.  
Esuperfund has now removed the statements from its website.  
Another SMSF service provider, Your Super Accountant, paid $2,040 after receiving an infringement notice for making potentially misleading statements about the costs of setting up a SMSF when using their services.  
Despite publishing claims on their website homepage that it was free to set up a SMSF with Your Super Accountant, investors were required to pay $200 upfront (20% of the annual administration fee) in order to be eligible for the "free" set up. The website homepage did not disclose that condition, or any others, when advertising the "free" service.  
ASIC noted that using a corporate trustee to set up a fund is never free.   According to ASIC deputy chairman Peter Kell, consumers should be on the lookout for services that advertise themselves as "free".
  "Some terms and phrases – such as "free" – have such a strong connotation for consumers that particular care should be taken so that investors are not misled," said Kell.  
"Setting up an SMSF is an extremely important financial decision and consumers should clearly understand the set up costs involved. ASIC has a particular focus on misleading claims that a financial product or service is 'free', as this may lead consumers to make inappropriate financial decisions," he said.  
Your Super Account has now amended the content on its website.
 
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Nothing is free: Two SMSF services fined by ASIC for misleading claims

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SME owners are likely to accelerate existing plans to gear their business premises through their self-managed super funds after renewed debate about whether to bar future superannuation gearing, say advisers to SMSFs and small-medium businesses.
Business owners are among the biggest supporters of self-managed super with superannuation gearing to acquire business premises becoming an increasingly popular strategy.
The recent <a href="https://fsi.gov.au/files/2014/07/FSI_Report_Final_Reduced20140715.pdf" target="_blank">interim report</a> of the Australian government’s current inquiry into the financial system, chaired by David Murray, is calling for views about whether superannuation gearing should be prospectively prohibited.
“If allowed to continue, growth in direct leverage by superannuation funds, although embryonic, may create vulnerabilities for the superannuation and financial systems,” the inquiry observes.
The inquiry’s final report is scheduled to be delivered to the Treasurer by November 14, although it is not known how long the government may take to react to its final recommendations.
SMSF specialist adviser Peter Crump says: “Where there is a hint that an investment opportunity may be closing, people who have been thinking about it should stop vacillating and make a decision – one way or the other.”
Crump, superannuation strategist for financial advice company ipac South Australia, believes that the financial inquiry’s call for views about the possible future barring of super gearing may prompt SME owners who have already been considering gearing their premises to focus their attention.
And Crump says good advisers have a responsibility to alert clients who had been discussing the gearing strategy with them about the possible impact of the financial inquiry.
“I think as advisers, we have a responsibility to keep our clients fully aware; otherwise we have let them down,” he adds. Crump is chairman of the SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia (SPAA).
SMSF auditor Martin Murden believes the raising of the possible removal of superannuation gearing is a “potential trigger” for SME owners who had been examining whether to gear their business premises through their SMSFs to reach a decision.
Murden, a director of SMSF consulting and auditing with the Partners Wealth Group and author of How to invest in property through your self managed super fund, says the financial inquiry provides something of a deadline for SMEs to make up their minds.
And Naree Brooks, a partner at PwC Private Clients, makes a similar comment: “If SMEs had been thinking about gearing their premises through their SMSFs, the Murray inquiry may bring forward the decision making.”
Article continues on the next page. Please click below.
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Sue Prestney, a partner at PwC Private Clients, says the majority of her medium-sized business clients up to August 1999 had acquired their business premises through their SMSFs, using geared trusts associated with the members. (The law had changed at that date, making such trusts so-called in-house assets of the funds and effectively ending the future gearing of SMSFs in that way.)
Prestney estimates that at least 30% of SMEs who have become her clients since 1999 now hold their business premises in their SMSFs with some of their SMSFs gearing through limited recourse loans, permitted under strict conditions for the past seven years.
“SMEs generally have their resources tied up in their businesses,” Prestney adds, “and usually the only way they can buy their business premises is through their super funds.”
Depending upon the circumstances, the holding business premises in a business owner’s SMSF can provide tax, asset protection, estate planning and business succession benefits.
Since September 2007, super funds have been permitted to borrow to invest – as an exemption to the general bar on borrowing – using limited recourse borrowing arrangements. Geared asset must be held in a holding trust until the loan is repaid.
SMEs owners who hold their business premises in their SMSF must pay an arm’s length rent to the fund, which pays concessional tax on the rental income.
Business property is one the few types of assets that SMSFs are allowed to acquire from their members and other related parties. As well, business property is one of the few types of assets that funds can lease to related parties, including the members’ businesses – without being limited by the in-house asset rules in superannuation law.
The ATO’s latest <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/Super/Self-managed-super-funds/In-detail/Statistics/Quarterly-reports/Self-managed-super-fund-statistical-report---March-2014/">self-managed super fund statistical report</a> shows SMSFs owed $2.72 billion in limited resource loans in March, up from $497 million in June 2009. These loans represent half a percent of total SMSF assets. The value of commercial property held by SMSFs is three times greater than the value of their residential property.
PwC’s Brooks says the gearing of businesses premises through SMSFs is increasingly popular among SME owners. Brooks believes a “second wave” of business owners are following the strategy, having progressively built-up their super balances under the more restrictive contribution caps. Further, limited recourse loans are more competitively priced.
Surveys by Investment Trends suggest that 38,000 SMSFs hold geared investments and that one of the main reasons why members of large super funds say they intend to setup an SMSF in the future is to invest in property.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/" target="_blank">SmartCompany</a>.
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Small business owners pushing for self-managed super gearing of business premises

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You know it wasn't that long ago that we lived in a totally different world. We had jobs for life. If you started work after leaving school in a bank, then you worked for a bank for the next thirty years or so. It was the same as buying a house and living in it for the same thirty years or so. That one house was deemed your 'investment for life' as superannuation was not yet invented.  
Also about 30 years ago, a little thing called the internet was introduced to us, we were told we could 'surf' the World Wide Web, little did we understand at the time the absolute massive impact this would have on the way we'd  live in the future.  
 I have trouble explaining to my kids that there was no internet when we were kids! The internet has now become an historical era; we talk pre and post internet. The internet opened up everything and now anyone, no matter what age can start a new business or become an 'entrepreneur'. So the 30 year careers in one industry have become extinct. 
A survey I read recently reported that 41% of all new business start ups in Australia are launched by people aged between 30 and 39, 21% aged 25 to 29 BUT 16% are aged between 40 and 44. I have a client starting her new business at the age of 58. Anything is possible. 
Today I received a call from a fifty something man who had made his fortune in buying, building up and selling businesses and now he was ready to park his money in property using a Self Managed Super Fund. He said "Jo, I'm ready now to kick back a bit and let my investments do the work for me." He is looking at a Property Bloom development that he'll fund from his SMSF that will create a nice chunk of equity during the development process and then result in a strong  yielding investment for him. 
The age for first time property investors is reducing. Whilst one in five Australians own an investment property, the number of Generation Y’s, individuals born roughly between 1982 and 1994, who own multiple properties is now on par with the Baby Boomers (17% own 2 or more). My step daughter fits this description with three properties under her belt.  Our youngest client will have six investment properties once we complete the two developments we have underway for him. His strategy is to build his portfolio as quickly as possible then as he starts a family, pull back and let time and capital growth work for him. The Gen Ys I know are clever. They embraces the internet early and used it as a tool to research and educate themselves on property investing. 
We live in a world overflowing with information and as older people realise that perhaps their 30 year career and original home is not going to deliver the retirement income they'll need over the next 30 years - because yes we are also living longer - then it's never too late to start investing and looking at entrepreneurial opportunities. Don't let physiological hang ups about 'comfort zones' set years ago hold you back. 
It's exciting times and why not build your own dream now? 
Jo Chivers is Chief Executive Officer of property development project managers <a href="https://www.propertybloom.com.au/about" target="_blank">Property Bloom</a>.
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Never too old to own your future: Jo Chivers

<html><body>Smaller lenders are entering the market for residential property investment loans for self managed super funds (SMSFs), the Banking Day website has reported. There are now 112 limited recourse home loan products for SMSFs from 19 different lenders listed by RateCity and Canstar.  The SMSF Professionals' Association of Australia estimates that Westpac, Commonwealth Bank and National Australia Bank hold about 85% of this market. Beyond Bank (formerly Community CPS) and Banana Coast are among the smaller lenders who have recently entered the market.</body></html>

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Smaller lenders offer SMSF property loans

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One of the most common questions I am asked these days comes from investors looking to use their self-managed super funds (SMSF) to invest and develop property.
It's no surprise that people who've had good experience with property investing want to apply the same strategy and take control of their superannuation investments.  But it's not as easy as it seems and you need to be clear on what tactics are permissible when investing money from your SMSF. You also need good, qualified advice.
I have to say I find it a little hard to stay on top of what you can and can't do with a SMSF.
When we recently started working with our new client Adam Mondy of <a href="https://www.mondyfinancial.com.au/" target="_blank">Mondy Financial Services</a>. I was delighted to hear that he was a financial planner who specialises in SMSFs. So I asked Adam if he wouldn't mind setting us straight on what we can and can't do with a SMSF.
Below are Adam's words of wisdom:
THE SMSF Developments
It sounds like a new movie release, but the SMSF world can be just as exciting and just as scary.
The Australian Tax Office are suggesting that 30,000 new SMSFs are opening each year, which is a lot of people wanting to be in complete control (or at least have the perception of control) over their retirement fortunes.
Investments in a SMSF
Any investment you can make in your current super fund or personal name you can make in an SMSF. Although if you are looking to boost your collection of fine wines and buy a few bottles of Grange Hermitage or perhaps add to your art collection with a Pro Hart, then that's a topic for a another time. Whilst it can be none, it's far more complicated.
You can invest in shares, term deposits, bonds, real estate trusts but a major drawcard and what has become very popular, is property.
Borrowing to Buy Property in your SMSF
The fact that you can take your super, borrow some funds from a bank and then buy a property that you may pay off in 15 - 20 years (yes slightly different than your traditional property strategy) using some or all of your superannuation guarantee payments, is a powerful strategy. Not a perfect, well diversified, sure fire guaranteed strategy, but nevertheless a powerful one based on past property prices. Basically if you are comfortable with gearing (using somebody else’s money, at a cost, to help build your future funds) using SMSF may suit you.
The standard method is to obtain a special loan from a normal banking institution, combining these funds and you can purchase any type of property. The ATO has very strict rules on “whom” you can purchase from and “who” can use these properties but any property type is fine.
The interesting thing about these loans is you cannot change the fundamental character of the property while the loan is on foot. For example, land cannot be purchased and then developed while a loan is attached. You could purchase a house and land package or an “off the plan unit” but there could be no ownership transfer under the package until the home/unit build was completed. The fundamental change being from vacant land to residential property.
On the other hand it is possible to make improvements to property, whilst the loan is on foot, so long as:
a) The improvements are not so extensive that they result in a change of the fundamental character of the property. Renovations to an existing residential property would generally be acceptable;
b) The improvements are not funded from borrowed monies, In other words the fund uses its own funds to make improvements to the property.
Can you develop property in a SMSF?
Many people think that you cannot develop in the SMSF environment. This is not correct. You can set up special trusts within the SMSF environment that allow you to use borrowed (by the SMSF) funds, develop property, subdivide, buy/sell, build a granny flat, or any property strategy you can think of. These trusts will even allow other investors, other SMSFs or you personally to invest with your SMSF to undertake a development.
The major catch, other than it is highly regulated, complicated and can be costly, is that you need to have the funds outside of the specific property you are developing. You cannot borrow against the property you are developing, as would be the “norm” in a traditional development. If you have access to funds, are able to borrow against other assets and/or have other parties involved, this scenario may be beneficial.
Using your own funds i.e. not borrowing
Basically you can do what you like with your own super funds in relation to property when borrowing is not undertaken. As long as the ATO rules of purchasing and “use” of the property are satisfied then any purchase, development, construction, subdivision or investment can be undertaken.
Your future self?
Whilst using your SMSF to invest in property has become common, you should consider that property is illiquid and may not produce the returns it has in the past. So it's important to do your due diligence carefully. In addition to this many property investors are committed to property over other investments, meaning there is little diversification across their portfolio. However, using different strategies such property development where you are adding value and creating equity through the process, can be a good way of building up the value of your SMSF faster than waiting on capital growth.
With any investment the return you receive should attempt to reflect the potential risk you are undertaking. Don’t forget in this instance we are talking about your future retirement funds, so you not only need to justify this strategy to your advisers, to your auditor and to the ATO but most importantly to your future self and family, so tread carefully.
<a href="https://www.propertybloom.com.au" target="_blank">www.propertybloom.com.au</a>
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Can I develop property using my SMSF? Jo Chivers

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The odds of your self managed super fund getting an Auditor Contravention Report (ACR) are just 53 to one, according to information provided by Chris Hocking Strategies.
An ACR is a notice that super law has been contravened in your self managed superannuation fund (SMSF) and that they have been detected and reported to the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
With 11,000 ACRs issued in 2013/2014, Chris Hocking Strategies explains that the ATO has made it obvious that those trustees who identify and actively address the contraventions will be viewed more favourably, with each ACR assessed by the ATO as either low, medium or high risk.
Your accountant or financial adviser should be speaking to the ATO for you in these situations. If you need to speak to the ATO then do so when you have prepared yourself, they suggest.
Low risk: Will be dealt with by a letter or phone call to trustee within eight weeks of the ATO receiving the ACR from the auditor.
Medium risk: A phone call to the trustee is likely to discuss the contraventions.
High risk: The SMSF will likely receive a comprehensive or full audit to look for additional problems.
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Odds of SMSFs getting a contravention report are 53 to one

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A recent Federal Court case underlines the potentially destructive consequences when the assets of a family’s self-managed super fund are used in an attempt to save a family’s struggling small business.
The trustee of the super fund in this case made six back-to-back loans totalling $190,000 to his brother-in-law who immediately transferred the money to the trustee’s Sunshine Coast convenience store.
A high price is being paid by the SMSF’s two members – Anthony Shaune Lyons and his wife, Julianne Marie – for the decision to use their super money as working capital for their financially-troubled business:
<ul>
<li>Their savings in the SMSF have been lost. None of the superannuation injected into their family business has been repaid and is, according to the court, irrecoverable. (The $190,000 in loans represented almost all of the super fund’s $193,000 in assets.) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The court has personally fined the trustee Anthony Shaune Lyons $32,500 plus $5000 towards costs for contravening a range of the most fundamental laws including the bar on providing financial assistance to members or their relatives.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>By using their SMSF assets to prop up their failing business, the couple lost the protection of superannuation as a means to quarantine their super savings from the fate of their convenience store. Superannuation is widely regarded as an effective means for small business operators to gain asset-protection subject to certain conditions.</li>
</ul>
The couple is now bankrupt because of personal debts incurred in running their business. Their plight is setout in stark detail in the court’s judgment, <a href="https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2014/2014fca1353">Deputy Commissioner of Taxation (Superannuation) v Anthony Shaune Lyons</a>.
Peter Crump, superannuation strategist for ipac South Australia, is emphatically against business owners using their super savings to try to save their financially-troubled businesses.
Crump, who is chairman of the SMSF Professionals’ Association of Australia, says owners of small businesses that are experiencing difficulties may tend to look at their business’s chances of recovering with “very rose-coloured” glasses.
“They may say to themselves, ‘I only need to put in a little more money to see the business through’. It is in a similar vein to gambling,” Crump believes.
The sad experience of the business couple in this court case highlights why SME business owners should:
<ol>
<li>
Not overlook the excellent asset-protection qualities of superannuation  Assets held in a super fund are generally inaccessible to trustees in bankruptcy – provided contributions were not made with the main purpose of defeating creditors. “By moving savings outside super,” says Crump, “you are exposing those savings. Keeping super and business assets separate is one of the key advantages of superannuation.” 
</li>
<li>
Know when to quit a failing business and understand the need for quality professional advice Rather than chasing good money after bad in a failing business, Crump says business owners should listen to expert and independent professional advice about when to quit. “You should have advisers with the courage and conviction to tell you when to quit a business,” he stresses. 
</li>
<li>
Never overlook thefundamental laws of super  The trustee in this court case contravened the most basic laws of super. The trustee breached the sole-purpose test (a super fund must be maintained to provide retirement benefits); the ban on providing financial assistance or loans to fund members and their relatives; the in-house asset rule (with a few exceptions, super funds are prohibited from making loans or having investments with related parties and entities that exceed 5% of its total asset value); and the requirement that transactions must be conducted on an arm’s length basis. 
</li>
<li>
Recognise the “certainty of detection” for illegal payments from a super fund  Crump says a superannuation auditor conducting the compulsory annual audit of a super fund will inevitably detect and ask for an explanation about such transactions as loans to members or their relatives.</li>
</ol>
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/" target="_blank">SmartCompany</a>. 
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SMSF money lost in failed attempt to save business: Four ways to protect your SMSF

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An ageing population, distrust in the super system and a dependency on foreign debt will put significant strain on Australia’s retirement income system over the next 40 years and will potentially leave Aussies without enough super to retire on, according to a panel of industry experts that included David Murray, the head of the <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/42840-what-the-murray-financial-industry-report-means-for-your-business" target="_blank">Financial System Inquiry</a> (FSI).
Murray told a breakfast in Melbourne the superannuation system needed clearer objectives in the coming years.
"We need to make sure the objective of the system is clear. If it’s not, and we don’t make some improvement, we will increasingly have to ask the question: Would we have been better off without this system?” said Murray.
“It’s not clear that we’ve made an overwhelming strong start in the superannuation system. There are a lot of people that start at 3% that won’t have adequate outcomes in retirement.”
The panel, which was hosted by the Self Managed Super Fund Association, also included former Keating government advisor Don Russell, economist and former Reserve Bank board member Warwick McKibbin, and SMSF Association chief Andrea Slattery.
Ageing population
McKibbin, an economic modeller, argued while <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/finance/superannuation/31367-smsf-experts-say-ageing-population-a-concern-for-industry" target="_blank">Australia’s ageing population</a> was not facing as much pressure as some countries, such as Japan and certain areas in Europe, we are still at the mercy of an increasing rate of old age dependency.
“Demographics is always destiny,” said McKibbin, who pointed to research showing while world economies would continue to grow, work participation rates will conversely decline.   
“Just from demographics alone, we can see there will be a fundamental slowdown in the world economy,” he says.
“The people who are working can’t support the number of old age people.”
Superannuant apathy
Russell, who was one of the architects of compulsory superannuation system, argued the public is becoming increasingly apathetic about super, and the superannuation industry was guilty of not having done enough to convince people to lock away their money for 40 years.
“Unless we can continue to convince people it’s a good deal to have their money locked, people will start saying, ‘I’ll have my money now’,” said Russell.
He said the failure of the industry to speak with one voice had discredited it in the eyes of many people and had strengthened criticism of compulsory super.
Foreign reliance
Murray, the former chief of the Commonwealth Bank, used the analogy of Australia as a bank customer to illustrate our reliance on foreign debt, saying the country could be classed as “a prolific borrower”.
He said while the country is generally “a style of borrower that does prefer to pay their debts”, it was now at risk of <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/growth/economy/42017-australia-s-aaa-credit-rating-at-risk-we-ask-three-economists-does-it-matter">the consequences of irresponsible budgetary management</a>.
“Well, what [does Australia] do when things are crook? Generally they have managed the budget fairly responsibly. Well we’ve reached a point where we don’t anymore,” said Murray.
Russell agreed Australia was too reliant upon other economies and was at risk of “being run over” if it slowed down reform to the super system.
“The US is of such a size, if it sits in the middle of the road, everyone goes round it. If Australia stops in the middle of the road, it gets run over. It’s not an option for us to be stopping,” he said.
SMSF sector
Meanwhile, the two-day conference also canvassed the condition of the self-managed super fund sector, with Slattery saying a growing number of people were “taking responsibility” for their super in the face of the challenges on the system.
In her keynote address, Slattery said recent reports, including the FSI, had given the SMSF sector “a clean bill of health”.
“We all know the figures. Of $1.85 trillion invested in superannuation at 30 June 2014, $560 billion is in SMSFs,” said Slattery.
“That’s 31% of all superannuation funds, with SMSFs now representing the majority of those that are self-sufficient in their retirement with 93% of members drawing income streams in the retirement phase.”
Slattery also pointed to “sobering” statistics that show approximately 84% of Australians are currently retiring on $21,000 or less a year through APRA-regulated funds.
SMSF investors making growth a priority
While concerns remain clear for the superannuation system as a whole, the conference also drew attention to research showing “green shoots” for SMSF investments.
The SMSF Investor Product Needs Report released on Tuesday shows trustees are now swinging away from cautious investments and are beginning to make growth a priority.
“For the past few years, the pendulum has been on the fear side; it was moving back towards optimism, but a lot of caution has emerged in 2014,” said the report.
The survey of 2681 investors with an SMSF, which examines investment trends in the six-year period from 2009 to 2014, says SMSF investors are in a period of “cautious optimism”, and while maximizing income remains important, trustees are focusing more on growth.
Slattery said in a statement the study “put to bed” the myths that SMSF investors don’t like making decisions, are apathetic, and basically sit on large cash reserves.
“As the report says, SMSF investors tend to lead the general investor population in investing behaviour and, as such, it’s critical to watch what they are doing,” she said.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/" target="_blank">SmartCompany</a>.
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