A new national education initiative is urging younger Australians to start looking after their super today using a simple idea: look after your super like your own golden goose, so it can grow and look after you for life.
Launched today by the Super Members Council, the ‘Look after your super’ initiative uses a distinctive creative concept – the Golden Super Goose – to help more younger Australians better understand how super works, why it matters, and how even small actions today can mean you have more money in retirement.
Despite being one of Australians’ largest financial assets, super remains one of the least understood parts of the financial system, particularly among younger Australians who weren’t yet in the workforce when super was legislated more than thirty years ago.
New SMC research shows nearly half of Australians say they don’t understand the basics of super, and many can still feel disconnected from it because retirement can feel like it’s far away.
But evidence also shows clearly that when people feel they understand super they become up to six times more likely to take simple actions that strengthen their own retirement such as making extra contributions, comparing fees and checking investments.
The Council’s CEO Misha Schubert said the initiative strives to close a gap between education and action.
“The evidence is strong and clear: when people better understand their super, they’re more likely to take actions that improve their retirement. That’s an enormous dividend from something as simple as education.”
The Golden Super Goose was developed to tackle one of the biggest barriers to more engagement: the difficulty of grasping the full transformative long-term power of compound investment returns.
By conceptualising super as a living asset that grows when it’s cared for, the initiative aims to make the future value of super feel real today, rather than abstract or distant.
“Instead of charts, jargon and percentages, this initiative highlights that super is something you look after. If you nurture your Golden Super Goose, protect it and pay attention to it, it grows. And when you retire, it then looks after you in your post-work years as your source of income,” Ms Schubert said.
The initiative was developed with creative agency Thinkerbell and will roll out nationally from 2 March via catch-up TV and streaming services, outdoor advertising, audio, social and digital as well as workplace and industry channels.
The content will direct Australians to a new education website – www.lookafteryoursuper.com – where your own Golden Super Goose can give you clear, plain English answers to common questions about super, including fees, compound returns, and see the difference it can make to look after your super early.
The initiative also responds to calls from regulators for better member engagement and education on super.
In 2024, ASIC publicly urged super funds and the industry to do more to explain super to younger Australians, particularly by using clear language and explaining the benefits of compound returns.
International experience also shows the strong effectiveness of similar education initiatives. In the UK, a similar pension engagement campaign has delivered strong results, with higher public awareness and people taking action after seeing it.
“Super works best when people understand it and nurture it. Helping more young Australians look after their super now means more security and dignity for them later in life,” Ms Schubert said.
Click here to watch the Golden Super Goose video.
About us:
The opinions above are those of the author in their capacity as spokesperson for Super Members Council of Australia (SMC). SMC, the authors and all other persons involved in the preparation of this information are thereby not giving legal, financial or professional advice for individual persons or organisations.
