Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people rightly expect a super system grounded in cultural safety – one that actively respects, honours, and safeguards every person’s economic wellbeing. Yet the super system in Australia was not designed with the unique experiences and needs of many First Nations people front of mind.

This report shares examples of good practices by super funds to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and makes recommendations for further improvements to deliver an even fairer experience of the superannuation system for First Nations members.

First Nations people today still earn up to 30% less than non-Indigenous people and experience higher rates of insecure work and lower rates of full-time work. This leads to lower super contributions and having less money in super over the course of people’s working lives.

Key findings

• Leadership and executive-level buy-in and commitment are vital to embed culturally safe and flexible service approaches.
• Cultural capability training for all staff, significantly improves member service experience.
• Rigid ID requirements, limited self-identification processes, and legal structures that do not recognise Indigenous kinship systems, remain significant barriers.
• Collaborative, sector-wide efforts and consistent data governance are critical for sustained reform.

Key recommendations

• Explicit recognition of First Nations kinship structures in super law (legislative amendment).
• Enable Indigenous Australians to nominate super beneficiaries consistent with a person’s cultural kinship and social structures.
• Greater regulatory guidance to set minimum expectations on cultural safety and service standards.
• Support for Indigenous self-identification aligned with Indigenous data governance principles.