The government’s introduction of the Retirement Income Covenant scheduled to start on 1 July has been deferred to allow continued consultation and legislative drafting to take place following the coronavirus crisis.

In a statement, Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology Jane Hume said the deferral will also allow drafting of this measure to be informed by the Retirement Income Review.

The revised date will be determined following further consultation on the Covenant.

Ms Hume said the purpose of the Retirement Income Covenant is to establish an additional obligation for trustees to formulate a retirement income strategy for their members.

“We’ve been working for some time on a Retirement Income Covenant. While efficient accumulation is imperative and we are steadily chipping away at the inefficiencies of that part of the system, we need to build a smoother transition from the accumulation to the de-accumulation phase,” Ms Hume said.

“Of course, there is nothing stopping funds and their trustees from developing retirement income strategies now, and we’d encourage them to do so. Trustees don’t need to wait for us to legislate the Covenant.”

Adrian Flores
25 May 2020
smsfadviser.com