Voice of Super

The final episode of Voice of Super for 2025, recorded live at the ASFA Conference, Madeleine Morris speaks to the two winners of ASFA's Future Leaders competition, Dajana Brkic of UniSuper, and Jack Allen of Legal and Prudential. They discuss their winning 'One Super Big Idea' to make super better and talk career paths in superannuation.

Recorded live at the ASFA 2025 Conference on the Gold Coast, this special Voice of Super episode features two of the industry’s biggest leaders: Deanne Stewart, CEO of Aware Super, and Kristian Fok, CEO of Cbus Super.

They join host Madeleine Morris to tackle the "demographic wave" facing the sector, with 700,000 Australians expected to retire in the next five years. The conversation unpacks the shift from accumulation to income, the specific challenges facing members in physically demanding trades, and the power of digital guidance tools to boost retiree confidence.

They also debate the "unworkable" friction points in current policy, such as minimum drawdowns and contribution rules, and look ahead to the super landscape of 2035.

Recorded live at the ASFA 2025 Conference on the Gold Coast, this special Voice of Super episode brings former UK Pensions Minister Guy Opperman into conversation with host Madeleine Morris about how to build better retirement outcomes.

They unpack the UK’s Mid-Life MOT, the shift to more guided decumulation and targeted support, and what Australia can learn as super funds help members turn lump sums into sustainable retirement incomes. Guy also shares his take on global pension trends and the growing UK–Australia partnership on long-term investment and infrastructure.

A special Voice of Super episode recorded on the floor of the 2025 ASFA Conference.

Demographer Simon Kuestenmacher joins ASFA’s Madeleine Morris to unpack why he calls millennials "The Struggling Generation". He explores what lies ahead for a cohort of Australians facing stagnant wage growth, a shrinking middle class, shaky housing security, and a tougher long-term wealth outlook.

We are rightly super proud of our superannuation system in Australia. So how come it's 7th on the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index? And what do the countries ahead of us do differently? 

In this week's Voice of Super podcast, we talk to Tim Jenkins who is the Index's lead author. This year, it rates and ranks 52 retirement systems worldwide. 

Mary and guests celebrate some reason advocacy wins for ASFA and the superannuation sector. They take a look at Payday Super and the enhanced Low Income Superannuation Tax Offset (LISTO), asking what these developments mean for Australians, and whether super funds are ready for them. Mary is joined by Anne Fuchs from ART, Enrico Burgio from Rest Super, and new ASFA team member Maureen Daley.

ASFA, AMP, and Vanguard have all recently released research about the state of Australian retirement. Are retirees feeling under or overconfident about retirement? And what explains gaps between expectations and reality?

ASFA's Head of Policy and Advocacy, James Koval, chats to AMP's Director Retirement, Ben Hillier, and Dr Sophie Yan, ASFA Research Analyst.

Mary chats to the Lowy Institute and ANU's Dr Jenny Gordon about the Measuring What Matters framework. Why does measuring activity traditionally excluded from GDP - including unpaid care work - matter for retirees and for investors? 

This week, we go inside the Treasurer's Economic Reform Roundtable with renowned independent economist Chris Richardson, who was in the room for the crucial tax reform discussions. And yes, he really did call it "Canberra Coachella". 

Chris joins Mary to deliver some home truths about Australia's economic performance and what it means for our taxation and superannuation systems. With Australia's living standards growth lagging dramatically behind other developed nations, the need for reform has never been greater.

BlackRock's Head of Australasia, Jason Collins, joins Mary to discuss the asset manager's thinking on retirement savings, the evolution of super fund internalisation, infrastructure funding gaps, and how asset managers and super funds can work together to drive Australia's productivity agenda.

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