LGIAsuper goes remote to support Indigenous communities

Super fund members living in remote Indigenous communities are taking control of their financial futures, thanks to a series of education and general advice visits from Brisbane-based LGIAsuper.

First published: 5 August 2019

Super fund members living in remote Indigenous communities are taking control of their financial futures, thanks to a series of education and general advice visits from Brisbane-based LGIAsuper.

A fund specialist recently travelled to regional shire councils, including Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Shire, Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire, Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire, Aurukun Shire, Carpentaria Shire, Croydon Shire and Burke Shire.

LGIAsuper participated in this trip to deliver face-to-face superannuation services to people who would not ordinarily have equal access to high quality, culturally appropriate financial information, and gain first-hand insight into the barriers faced by those in remote areas.

LGIAsuper Growth Specialist Daniel Robb said everyone should have access to the resources and education required to maximise their superannuation.

“We really wanted to go into these communities and give members the chance to talk with a specialist about complex topics – something they wouldn’t normally be able to do due to their remote location,” said Mr Robb.

“Over the course of a week, we conducted 65 Super Health Checks, helping to track down and consolidate more than $222,000 in lost and unclaimed superannuation in a very short timeframe.”

The regional consultations were organised as part of an annual charter flight initiative run by Peak Services, part of the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), where representatives from a range of sectors travel to remote communities to learn more about the issues faced and offer their services.

This year, LGIAsuper and Peak Services were joined by the LGAQ, Local Buy, Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia Queensland, Telstra, and Arts Queensland in the charter flight. The organisations met with both residents and council representatives.

Director of Business Development at Peak Services Jessica Jones said the third annual charter flight helped organisations to better understand the challenges remote and Indigenous communities faced in obtaining and processing information, as well as accessing critical services.

“This initiative directly connects Indigenous communities with service providers to spark discussion and drive action around how organisations and government can better meet the needs of remote communities,” Ms Jones said.

“Communications, infrastructure, in particular the renewal and maintenance of public assets and funding, were identified as major challenges, with councils concerned about financial sustainability and in particular the social housing crisis facing these communities.

“Access to services like power, roads, water, and waste management was another trend, along with the pressures from increased governance and regulatory requirements.”