Our response to the Optus data breach
On 22 September, Optus Australia was the victim of a cyberattack, which has led to a significant loss of their current and former customer data. Optus has advised data exposed may include personal information such as customer names, email addresses, telephone numbers and dates of birth. For a subset of customers, exposed information may include addresses and ID document numbers such as passport and or driver's license numbers.
What does the Optus data breach mean for members of Australian Retirement Trust?
While the Optus data breach is concerning, members' accounts have not been compromised because of it. We can assure you that keeping our members' superannuation accounts secure is our priority. In light of the Optus breach, as a precaution we have taken further steps to enhance the protection of members' super accounts and employers' information (bank account details and email addresses), and we will continue to monitor the situation and respond as necessary.
It's important to remember:
- Superannuation can only be accessed if a condition of release is met.
- Only authorised employees can access member and employer account information.
- When a member calls us, we use a three-point security check to verify their identity to help protect their account.
- We take steps to protect our members' personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, modification, misuse, or loss. These steps include having:
- Privacy and security training for our employees
- Active security measures and surveillance
- Corporate measures such as access controls, firewalls, virus scanning, and encryption.
- We can also further enhance security by setting up an additional security question and answer.
We're here to help
We encourage all members and employers to maintain a heightened level of awareness and contact us on 13 11 84 if they have any concerns.
Protection
For more information on how members can take action to protect themselves, see:
Privacy
For more information on how we protect members’ privacy, see our Privacy Policy.
Responding to a data breach notification
For members impacted by the breach, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has provided a useful guide on how to Respond to a data breach notification.
Ongoing monitoring
Members can stay up-to-date with the latest security news and alerts at:
- Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC)
- Scamwatch (ACCC)
- Moneysmart
- Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
- IDCare
“It's more super”
Two of Australia's top performing super funds (Sunsuper and QSuper) merged in February to become Australian Retirement Trust. While we have a new name, we are still dedicated to helping Australian employers meet their superannuation obligations and supporting more than two million Australians to save for their retirement.
Think of us as a super-super fund with the experience to spot market opportunities… And the ambition to do things a little differently.
Find out what more super is for you.
Arlanda Express. One of our super-smart investments
When it comes to investing, diversification is important. Our team of investment experts find great opportunities for our members - like the high-speed rail-link in Sweden.
With size comes opportunity, and we have access to assets that are not available to individuals, self-managed super funds (SMSFs), and even other super funds.
Arlanda Express is a city-to-airport train in Sweden, which runs from Stockholm city to Arlanda Airport. ART owns a 25% stake in A-train AB (‘A-Train’), the owner and operator of Arlanda Express. A-Train has moved over 90 million passengers from the highway to rail from its launch.
Investing in Arlanda Express offers1:
- A stable, mature, transportation asset in a country with a strong economy and stable politics
- An attractive, risk-adjusted return that is highly correlated to Swedish GDP and inflation
- Strong earnings visibility, with a history of predictable cash flow growth
- Passenger demand showing resilience to economic conditions
1 Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Australian Retirement Trust adopted the same products, services and investments as Sunsuper from the date of the merger. For further information about the merger, please see the About Us section of our website.
Australian Retirement Trust and QIC to partner to deliver social and affordable housing in Queensland
Working in conjunction with experienced community housing provider, Brisbane Housing Company (BHC), this innovative investment partnership provides a scalable model for the financing, development and operation of social and affordable housing in the state.
Up to 1,200 new homes are to be delivered through the partnership, largely consisting of social and affordable housing, with construction to commence on all projects by 2025 subject to agreement of terms and finalisation of diligence and documentation.
Via the partnership with QIC, ART is making capital available alongside the Queensland Government to enable delivery of seven projects in the initial stage by the QIC-BHC Social Housing Consortium, representing nearly 600 dwellings.
Annual Members' Meeting
The Australian Retirement Trust Annual Members' Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 22 February 2023. We'll send invitations to members in November with registration details and more information about the event.
Australian Retirement Trust appoints new chair
On 30 September 2022, Australian Retirement Trust announced the appointment of Andrew Fraser as Chair of our Board to steward the Fund through our next phase of integration and growth.
Mr Fraser was appointed as a Director of Sunsuper in September 2015, and as Sunsuper Chair in February 2018. He has served as a director on the ART Board since February following the merger and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role having served on boards across a number of sectors over the last decade.