This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Australia's Retirement Income System: Implications for Saving and Capital Markets

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Malcolm Edey (Reserve Bank of Australia)
John Simon (Reserve Bank of Australia)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

Australia is in the early stages of introducing a system of self-provision for retirement through mandatory contributions to private superannuation funds. For most employees, the scheme will eventually replace, either fully or partially, the government age pension, currently relied upon by a large majority of retirees. The scheme has been implemented reasonably smoothly by building on existing financial infrastructure for voluntary superannuation. This paper summarises the historical background of mandatory superannuation in Australia, reviews its potential impact on saving and capital markets, and highlights some remaining policy issues. Perhaps the most important of these is the impact of the system on retirement decisions. A number of features of the system contribute to incentives favouring early retirement and continued reliance on the government pension. Also important is the increasing complexity of the system, a result of the layering of rule changes and grandfathering of existing rights at each stage of the process.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.rba.gov.au/rdp/RDP9603.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Reserve Bank of Australia in its series RBA Research Discussion Papers with number rdp9603.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: Sep 1996
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:rba:rbardp:rdp9603

Contact details of provider:
Postal: GPO Box 3947, Sydney NSW 2001
Phone: 61-2-9551-8111
Fax: 61-2-9551-8000
Email:
Web page: http://www.rba.gov.au/
More information through EDIRC

Order Information:
Web: http://www.rba.gov.au/PublicationsAndResearch/RDP/RDP_Order/index.html

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Paula Drew).

Related research
Keywords:

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Pension Funds; Other Private Financial Institutions
G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
H55 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Social Security and Public Pensions
O56 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Oceania

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Bateman, H. & Piggott, J., 1993. "The Superannuation Guarantee Charge: What Do We Know about Its Aggregate Impact?," Papers 93-6, New South Wales - School of Economics.
  2. Malcolm Edey & Robin Foster & Ian Macfarlane, 1991. "The Role of Superannuation in the Financial Sector and in Aggregate Saving: A Review of Recent Trends," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp9112, Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  3. Steven Morling & Robert Subbaraman, 1995. "Superannuation and Saving," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp9511, Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  4. M. E. Atkinson & John Creedy & D. M. Knox, 1995. "Planning Retirement Income in Australia: Routes through the Maze," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 28(4), pages 15-28. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Kingston, G. & Piggott, J. & Bateman, H., 1992. "Taxes, Retirement Transfers, and Annuities," Papers 92-18, New South Wales - School of Economics.
    Other versions:
  6. Warren Tease & Jenny Wilkinson, 1993. "The Provision of Financial Services - Trends, Prospects and Implications," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp9315, Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  7. Hazel Bateman & John Piggott, 1997. "Private Pensions in OECD Countries: Australia," OECD Labour Market and Social Policy Occasional Papers 23, OECD, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs. [Downloadable!]
  8. Gruen, F H, 1985. "Australian Government Policy on Retirement Incomes," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 61(174), pages 613-21, September.
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Garry Barrett & Yi-Ping Tseng, 2007. "Retirement Saving in Australia," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 177, McMaster University. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Malcolm Edey & Brian Gray, 1996. "The Evolving Structure of the Australian Financial System," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp9605, Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? Apart from a small start up grant in the 1990's, RePEc has received no funding and lives on the help of volunteers.

This page was last updated on 2009-10-16.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.