Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and the Superannuation System

It is remarkable how little existing literature there is on outcomes for Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in retirement and old age.

This is even more remarkable given that Indigenous Australians often face different challenges and life trajectories, and have different cultural preferences and aspirations compared to the non-Indigenous population.

This report assesses the appropriateness of the Superannuation system for Indigenous Australians.

The report highlights the importance of creating a more culturally-aligned superannuation system that provides greater support to Indigenous Australians who may be experiencing significant disadvantage or hardship and offers some important insights that improve our understanding of the financial security – or otherwise – that the current retirement system offers to Indigenous Australians and their families.

Importantly, this report offers a set of recommendations that, if implemented, could go some way to rebalancing the support provided to Indigenous superannuation fund members in making the transition to retirement and older age.