News Release: The ethical super funds of Australia unite for the real fight this election.
A new National “Switch to Ethical Super” campaign has just been launched by Ethical Switch.
Superannuation is a hot topic in this federal election with the Liberal party facing revolt over their proposed changes; in his Budget speech, treasurer Scott Morrison focused on contributions of the wealthy while the opposition Leader Bill Shorten in his budget reply focused on tax-free retirement earnings. Superannuation however, provides an opportunity to focus on the real fight of our generation – climate change. Both parties have been woefully inadequate on this issue. What will happen at the election and what policies will be adopted are quite uncertain.
One thing that is certain is individuals have an opportunity to become more involved with their super funds and empowered to invest their money with impact. The rise of ethical super funds has enabled everyday Australians to shift their super to organisations that ensure the funds are only directed to ethical investments.
A new National “Switch to Ethical Super” campaign has just been launched by Melbourne based social enterprise Ethical Switch. Co-founder, Ms Tamlyn Rudolph said “Ethical Switch was launched because despite best intentions, consuming ethically is always a difficult and a time-consuming task. Our platform now takes the hassle out of that.”
“We’ve recently launched ethical superannuation, showcasing a number of funds that meet ethical investing standards. Customers can view and browse the super funds and make an online switch from their existing fund in under 5 minutes. We wanted to demonstrate that during the current election, we have the ability to vote through our dollar. Redirecting over 2 trillion dollars in Australian super funds would be a powerful vote!”
Ethical Switch began in 2014 by offering comparisons to customers who wanted a switch from the standard energy providers to more ethical and responsible energy providers including Powershop and Diamond Energy. This campaign was hugely successful and now the focus has turned to helping people switch their super.
Ethical Switch also works with a range of charity partners and donates over 80% of profits to charity. Not only do people have the opportunity to switch to ethical providers, but they immediately can allocate a donation to their chosen charity.
Superannuation funds including Australian Ethical Super, Future Super and Good Super screen all investment opportunities for unethical behaviour and practices. Future Super promises that investments with them will never be used to fund fossil fuels, tobacco, arms, detention centres or live animal exports. Instead investments are made in sectors such as renewable energy, medical, science and healthcare, technology, education and health foods.
“National and global trends show ethical investments have out-performed average equity funds over the short, medium and long terms. Experts say, fossil fuel investments are at significant risk of becoming stranded. It seems the market is starting to care about the planet” said Future Super Founder & Managing Director, Simon Sheikh.
What is different about these funds? They are all members of the Responsible Investment Association of Australia and are non restrictive (i.e. not industry or religion specific). Ethical investment for these funds is considered core business and not an optional stream, with each fund providing transparency on investments. As an extra bonus, they’ll will even track lost super for you.
Making the switch takes less than 5 minutes online. Anyone wishing to take back control of their super and interested in how their super can contribute to change should visit www.ethicalswitch.com
About Ethical Switch
Ethical Switch is a social enterprise whose mission is to find ethical companies offering great deals and to make switching simple. In 2015, they launched their energy retailer comparison table which cuts through green-washing and reveals ownership and emissions for each provider. Through rigorous research, Ethical Switch finds affordable deals from values-based companies, creating more empowered choices for consumers. Switches are currently available for Energy and Superannuation Services with Banking to be added early 2017. We promise you, switching never felt better.
@_ethicalswitch
www.ethicalswitch.com
INTERVIEWS
Sam Marshall – Head of Business Partnerships, Ethical Switch
+61 412 193 176
sam@ethicalswitch.com
www.ethicalswitch.com
MEDIA
Deb Cupitt – Manager, Communications & Marketing, One10
+61 488 436 719
info@oneten.com.au