• QSuper and Sunsuper announced on 6 December that the $230 billion fund resulting from their proposed merger early next year will be called ‘Australian Retirement Trust’.
• QSuper and Sunsuper plan to deliver a fee reduction for their more than two million members from 1 July 2022[1].

New name and a step forward

The future Australian Retirement Trust Chief Executive Officer, Bernard Reilly, said the announcement of the merged fund’s name was an important step forward in the merger process since the signing of a Heads of Agreement in March this year.

“Australian Retirement Trust will be a force for good, to make the world for our two million members better, guiding them to and through retirement,” said Mr Reilly.

“Australian Retirement Trust captures the key elements of our proposed organisation: our fund is for all Australians, no matter where they live or what industry they work in. We will guide our members to and through retirement, and as a fund that works for members, not shareholders, we will be trusted to work in their best interests.

Focus on members

“As two of Australia’s largest profit-for-members super funds, Sunsuper and QSuper have together taken care of their more than two million members’ superannuation for a combined 140 years.

“Australian Retirement Trust will continue both Sunsuper’s and QSuper’s focus on working for members, aiming to deliver strong, long-term investment returns and low fees and providing the tools and advice to help members feel on top of their super.

“Whether our members are starting out their working life, already retired, or somewhere in between, we’ll guide them to help ensure they’re secure, confident and protected. We’ll leverage our size and scale to be a force for good to make our members’ world better, seeking out investments to guard and grow their savings and retirement income.”

Post-merger fee reduction

Australian Retirement Trust’s future trustees have flagged that they are committed to delivering a post-merger fee reduction for most members to apply from the start of the next financial year, with final details to be communicated to members prior to 30 June 2022.

The current 1.4 million Sunsuper members will become members of Australian Retirement Trust’s public offering as will all new members not connected to the Queensland Government. The QSuper brand will continue as a part of Australian Retirement Trust, dedicated to providing superannuation products and services to Queensland Government employees and their families.

Australian Retirement Trust will be headquartered in Queensland, with offices around Australia. The planned merger is on track to proceed on 28 February 2022 pending final  Board, regulatory and legislative approvals.

[1] Fee reduction is subject to confirmation by the Trustee of Australian Retirement Trust. Australian Retirement Trust will contact members before 1 July 2022 to confirm the fee reduction.

Disclaimer This article has been prepared and issued by Sunsuper Pty Ltd, (ABN 88 010 720 840, AFSL No. 228975) the trustee and issuer of the Sunsuper Superannuation Fund (ABN 98 503 137 921, USI 98 503 137 921 001). It contains general advice and does not take into account the investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular individual. You should consider if the advice is appropriate to your own circumstances before acting on it. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before deciding and Target Market Determinations (TMDs). Visit sunsuper.com.au or call 13 11 84 for a copy of the PDS and TMDs.