Media Release
April 4 2008
Saving for tomorrow under the spotlight today
Is
superannuation the pathway to a better retirement income as promoted by
successive governments, and is it likely to be equally so for all
Australians?
As part of the Hawke Research Institute for Sustainable Societies 2008
Professorial Lecture series,
Professor Rhonda Sharp will investigate
these and other contemporary issues around superannuation in her lecture
The Political Economy of Superannuation in Australia.
Professor of Economics, Prof Sharp believes that making superannuation
the main form of retirement income savings is having several significant
impacts on Australian society.
“Firstly, there has been the development of the large and powerful
private funds industry with assets over one trillion dollars – a massive
industry by anyone’s standards,” Prof Sharp said.
Prof Sharp said that the shift of retirement funding to superannuation
had led to inconsistency of superannuation savings between different
groups of people, resulting in poorer long term returns for certain
groups in society.
“My research in this area over the last 10 years has shown how policy
impacts differently on men and women and groups of men and women of
different socioeconomic status, race, age, gender and location,” Prof
Sharp said.
“For example women, because of their relatively low lifetime earnings
(for a variety of reasons) tend to accumulate less superannuation.
However, at the other end of the spectrum, a small percentage of high
income and asset holding men are positioned to benefit from the generous
superannuation tax concessions,” she says.
“Superannuation policy without doubt has gender and class based
assumptions and impacts, and this raises questions about its promotion
in leading to better retirement incomes for all Australians.”
Prof Sharp is Research Chair and Professor of Economics at the Hawke
Research Institute and throughout her career has been engaged in
applying her knowledge to social and economic issues. She has
contributed to SA policy debates as a member of government boards and
committees including the SA government Task Force on Public Sector
Superannuation (1987-90), and is a regular contributor to The State of
South Australia.
Prof Sharp is also known internationally for her work on incorporating a
gender perspective into policy and government budgets, and has been an
adviser to numerous international agencies including the United Nations
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Commonwealth Secretariat,
AusAid and the Asian Development Bank.
What: ‘The Political Economy of
Superannuation in Australia.”
When: Friday 11th April 2008 at 5.00pm
Where: Bradley Forum, Level 5, Hawke Building,
UniSA City West Campus, North Terrace, Adelaide
RSVP: (08) 8302 4369 email hawkeinstitute@unisa.edu.au
Contact for interview
- Professor Rhonda Sharp office (08) 8302 4074 mobile 0433 765 577 email rhonda.sharp@unisa.edu.au
Media contact
- Lisa McDonald office (08) 8342 5045 mobile 0434 367 876 email mcdonald.lisa@unisa.edu.au