With the status of COVID-19 evolving rapidly, we wish to update you on recent developments and notify you that we have a page dedicated to COVID-19 and the impact for AvSuper members and the Fund itself.

Changes to superannuation

The Government has announced changes to superannuation, including:

  • Access to up to $10,000 of your superannuation this financial year and the same amount for next financial year for members experiencing financial hardship.  The full details of this have not yet been released by the Government, so we  will update members via our website as soon as the information is available, and
  • The ability to reduce minimum annual pension payment amounts for our income stream members. Again, we will let affected members know, and provide a website update, as soon as the Government legislates and releases the details of this arrangement.

Business & Office Management

We recognise that there are several scenarios that may eventuate in the event of an AvSuper employee having exposure to or contracting COVID-19.  AvSuper is continuing to follow the guidance from international and local health authorities and we are responding according to our pandemic plan.  As at 23 March 2020, we can confirm that AvSuper has not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19 in any of our locations.

The ongoing health and safety of our people while also continuing our service commitments to our members remains our priority.  We are conducting regular meetings and assessments so we can properly react and respond to developments.  This includes reviewing our systems, protocols and operations management on a daily basis.

We want to assure you that we are working to minimise disruption to our various member services.  We have currently closed our office to face-to-face meetings and stopped interstate visits, however, we will remain open for members to contact us. We acknowledge that the normal channels for contact may change as we expect to move more of our team to remote work from home arrangements in the coming days.  If you cannot reach us via 1300 128 751, we encourage you to:

  1. Leave a voice message for us to return your call as soon as possible.  Our team will be able to return your call from remote locations, so while there may be short delays in call backs (depending on call volumes), we will be able to return your call
  2. Use the Call Me back function on our website and again someone from our team will be able to contact you, generally at the time that suits you (if you provide your preferences!)
  3. Email us at avsinfo@avsuper.com.au  Our member services staff will remain able to reply to your emails during business hours
  4. Use our AvChat function on our website for an online chat with one of our team members during business hours.

We will of course remain focussed on our members during this challenging time but acknowledge that some members may experience delays at times while we bed down remote working arrangements.  We will continue to provide updates to members via email, via website updates and on our social media sites.

Other information

You may also want to read our latest investment update (which includes Corona virus information) and previous COVID-19 news item.

As always, if you have any questions about your account or the impact of COVID-19, please call 1300 128 751, catch us on AvChat or email us.

Michelle Wade
Chief Executive Officer