Home / How super works / Super news / Super news for March 2025

Super news for March 2025

AustralianSuper sued for death benefit claims failures

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has launched additional action against AustralianSuper in the Federal Court, this time over delayed processing of nearly 7,000 death benefit claims.

ASIC is alleging that between July 2019 and October 2024, AustralianSuper took up to four years from the date the claim form was returned to assess at least 6,897 death benefit claims. ASIC says that it was a failure to process death benefit claims efficiently, honestly and fairly.

It also alleges AustralianSuper failed to pay benefits as soon as practicable after the member’s death in at least 752 cases, in one instance taking up to 1,140 days to pay, despite having all the relevant information required to make the payment.

“At its heart, this matter is about protecting vulnerable Australians and their families,” ASIC deputy chair Sarah Court said.

“It is vital that death benefit claims are processed in a timely manner. Delays are likely to cause further pain and anxiety to people who are already suffering from grief, making what is already a difficult time even harder.”

The new ASIC action comes less than a month after AustralianSuper was fined $27 million after the Federal Court found it failed to merge multiple member accounts in breach of its fundamental duties and obligations to members.

In that case, the court found that over the nearly ten years to March 2023, approximately 90,700 AustralianSuper members had multiple accounts and incurred approximately $69 million in losses through multiple administration fees, insurance premiums and lost investment earnings as a failure of those funds not being merged.

“Improving services to superannuation fund members is a strategic priority for ASIC and we will continue to take strong action where we consider that members are not getting the service they deserve from their superannuation trustees,” Court said.

Australia’s super system punches above its global weight

About the author

Related topics,

IMPORTANT: All information on SuperGuide is general in nature only and does not take into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider whether any information on SuperGuide is appropriate to you before acting on it. If SuperGuide refers to a financial product you should obtain the relevant product disclosure statement (PDS) or seek personal financial advice before making any investment decisions. Comments provided by readers that may include information relating to tax, superannuation or other rules cannot be relied upon as advice. SuperGuide does not verify the information provided within comments from readers. Learn more

© Copyright SuperGuide 2008-25. Copyright for this guide belongs to SuperGuide Pty Ltd, and cannot be reproduced without express and specific consent. Learn more

Leave a Reply