CEO Update – October 2026

By Kate Farrar, Chief Executive Officer, Brighter Super

26 October 2026

It’s been wonderful to meet so many of you at our recent member events, and to hear what matters most to you.

Supporting you at every stage of life as you work towards a brighter retirement is at the heart of what we do, so I’m delighted that Brighter Super has again received the Epic Retirement Tick. You can read more about this recognition in my update below.

There’s a lot to share from this quarter. From 1 October 2026, we reduced fees and costs across most of our investment options, introduced two new investment options, and continued investing in opportunities that aim to deliver strong long-term outcomes for members.

We’ve also expanded the information and support available to help you understand your super and retirement options, and introduced new technology to help our people support you more.

In this update, you’ll also find an important reminder about protecting your account, and we look ahead to our Annual Members’ Meeting next month.

I hope to see more of you at our upcoming events in Toowoomba, Brisbane and online over the coming month.

Focusing on long-term performance

With inflation, changing interest rate expectations and geopolitical developments continuing to shape global markets, Brighter Super’s investment options showed resilience during the quarter, building on solid long-term returns for members.

The latest SuperRatings survey shows that our four most popular investment options, based on the amounts members have invested – MySuper, Growth, Balanced and Conservative Balanced – each delivered an average annual return above the median of its respective SuperRatings index over the ten years to 31 August 2026¹.

These ten-year returns span a period of significant change in financial markets, including the COVID-19 pandemic, persistent inflation, changing interest rates, global trade tensions and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

Delivering above-median returns across these four options through such varied market conditions reflects our diversified, long-term investment approach.

You can find out more in our latest Investment Update.

Reducing our fees for the fourth year in a row

As Australians face rising living costs, Brighter Super has cut super costs again, reducing investment fees and transaction costs across 10 options from 1 October 2026.

It is the fund’s fourth round of fee reductions since 2023, following three earlier cuts to administration fees.

For a MySuper member with a $50,000 balance, annual fees and costs are now around $150 – or more than 30% – lower than they were four years ago². Brighter Super is also now ranked as the second-lowest-cost industry fund for MySuper fees³.

In addition, we returned approximately $7.1 million to eligible members in administration fee rebates during the 2025/26 financial year⁴. This included rebates under our annual administration fee cap of $650 and Partner Linking arrangements.

Every dollar saved in fees is another dollar that can remain invested for your future. Over time, lower fees combined with strong long-term investment performance can make a meaningful difference to your retirement savings.

We’ll send all members more information about the fee changes soon.

Find out more:

• Brighter Super cuts costs again, delivering four years of fee reductions
• Working hard to keep fees low

More choice to personalise your investments

You now have two more investment options to choose from following the introduction of Indexed International Shares and Indexed Australian Shares on 1 October 2026.

Both options have been added to our range of single asset class options and are available to Accumulation, Pension and Transition to Retirement Pension members.

Indexed investment options aim to closely follow the performance of a selected share market index. Your money is invested across the companies included in that index, rather than relying on investment managers to actively choose which companies to buy and sell. This generally results in lower investment fees than actively managed options.

The new options give you greater flexibility to create an investment mix that reflects your goals, investment timeframe and comfort with risk. However, both options are 100% invested in shares and follow the market down as well as up. While they spread your money across different companies, they are not diversified across different types of asset classes.

Find out how indexed investing works and what to consider before making a choice.

Recognised for supporting members into retirement

We’re delighted to have earned the Epic Retirement Tick for the second year in a row.

Brighter Super was one of eight funds to receive the 2026/27 Epic Retirement Tick, following an assessment of 45 APRA-regulated super funds.

Developed by retirement educator Bec Wilson’s Epic Retirement Institute in partnership with research, data and analytics provider Chant West, the Tick looks beyond investment returns to assess how well super funds support members approaching and living in retirement.

The standard was raised for 2026/27. The assessment expanded from 18 to 20 criteria, including product design and investments, performance and fees, education, guidance and advice, and service delivery.

Brighter Super met 15 of the 20 available Ticks – the equal-highest result among the funds assessed – up from 13 of 18 last year.

Chant West’s assessment recognised Brighter Super’s competitive long-term performance and fees, retirement investment options, comprehensive advice offering, online services for retired members, service standards and cyber security measures.

The Epic Retirement Tick provides an independent benchmark of the practical services and support available to members as they prepare for and move through retirement.

Find out more about the Epic Retirement Tick.

Finalists across seven award categories

We’re also delighted to have been named a finalist in seven categories at the 2026 Super Fund of the Year Awards.

The nominations span MyChoice Super of the Year, Retirement Offering of the Year, Member Education, Advice Offering, Adviser Servicing, Accountability and Transparency, and Age Pension Optimiser.

The winners will be announced on 12 November 2026, and we’ll let you know how we go.

While recognition is always appreciated, what matters most is what these services deliver for you: better support, clearer information and greater confidence when making decisions about your future.

Read more about our awards.

Super and retirement information that fits into your day

In August, we launched our new In the Hammock podcast series.

The first three episodes have already received more than 300,000 views or listens. Featuring Brighter Super experts and special guests, including retirement advocate David Koch, the series explores some of the questions Australians ask most about super, retirement and investing.

People increasingly want trusted information in formats that fit easily into their lives. In the Hammock extends the information available beyond seminars and webinars and advice, giving you another way to build your knowledge wherever you are on your retirement journey.

Our goal is simple: to help you feel more informed, more confident and better equipped to make decisions about your financial future.

You can watch or listen to In the Hammock on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Faster access to information when you contact us

When you contact us, our goal is to provide accurate information as quickly as possible.

We have introduced a new artificial intelligence (AI) solution called Sparkie to help our Contact Centre teams find the right information with greater speed, accuracy and relevance.

Developed with NRI Australia and New Zealand, Sparkie is the first deployment of Salesforce Agentforce in the Australian superannuation industry.

Sparkie helps our people search detailed product documents, knowledge articles and other approved sources when responding to member enquiries. It operates within our highly regulated contact centre environment and is designed to assist our people, not replace the value of speaking with them.

Superannuation can be complex, and the information behind every conversation matters. By helping our teams navigate that complexity more efficiently, Sparkie can support more informed and helpful conversations with members.

Read more on the NRI website.

Your retirement savings supporting Queensland’s future

As a Queensland-based, member-owned fund, we are proud to invest in opportunities that aim to deliver long-term value for members while supporting the state where many of our members live and work.

By investing across infrastructure, property and other productive assets, we aim to generate sustainable long-term returns while contributing to Queensland's growth.

We recently had the opportunity to tour one of our longer-term investments, the Gold Coast Light Rail. Brighter Super has been an investor in the network since 2011 through our infrastructure manager, Palisade Investment Partners.

Stage 3 opened on 9 August 2026, extending this important transport network further along the Gold Coast. Planning is also continuing for a proposed 3.2-kilometre northern extension from Gold Coast University Hospital to the Harbour Town shopping precinct at Biggera Waters.

Find out more about Gold Coast Light Rail.

This investment reflects our broader focus on Queensland. Under our Queensland Investment Strategy, announced in 2024, we committed to investing an additional $500 million in Queensland assets by 2029 across infrastructure, property and logistics, agriculture and high-growth businesses.

Read more about how we’re backing Queensland’s growth.

Understanding how super investments are regulated

Recent news about the collapse of the First Guardian Master Fund and Shield Master Fund has understandably raised questions for some Australians.

Both were managed investment schemes, rather than superannuation funds. However, some people accessed investments in them through super platforms or self-managed super funds. This highlights the importance of understanding both where your super is held and how it is invested.

Brighter Super is an APRA-regulated super fund. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) sets requirements covering governance, investment oversight and risk management.

While regulation cannot remove all investment risk, APRA sets the standards for how regulated super fund trustees govern their operations, oversee investments and manage risk. APRA also oversees trustees’ compliance with their legal duty to act in members’ best financial interests.

You can learn more in Bec Wilson’s article explaining the differences between an APRA-regulated super fund, an investment platform and a self-managed super fund.

Simple actions can help protect your account

This month (October 2026) has been Cyber Security Awareness Month, a nationwide Australian Government initiative encouraging people to take practical steps to stay safer online.

Cyber threats continue to increase in scale, speed and sophistication. Protecting your personal information and retirement savings remains one of our highest priorities.

We use multiple layers of security and monitoring to help detect and prevent unauthorised access and fraudulent activity. These measures include requiring a password and multi-factor authentication to access Member Online and our mobile app, locking access after three unsuccessful login attempts, and monitoring online withdrawals.

You also have an important part to play. Use a strong and unique password, never share your login details or security codes, and be cautious about unexpected emails, text messages, websites or telephone calls asking for personal or account information.

It is also important to keep your mobile number, email address and other contact details up to date so we can reach you if we identify unusual activity.

Learn more about protecting your account from fraud.

Join us at our Annual Members’ Meeting

I look forward to sharing how Brighter Super performed over 2025/26, the progress we've made over the past year and our plans for the future at the 2026 Annual Members’ Meeting.

The meeting will be held at Brisbane City Hall on Wednesday 25 November 2026, from 11.00 am to 1.30 pm, and will also be broadcast live online.

My team and I always value this opportunity to spend time with our members, share what we are working on, and listen to your questions and feedback. Invitations, including details of how to register, will be sent to all members soon.

Register to attend the 2026 Annual Members' Meeting – registrations are now open to attend in person or online

Our Annual Members’ Report 2025/26 and Annual Financial Report 2025/26 are published ahead of the meeting, available on the above registration page.

Thank you for continuing to trust us with your retirement savings. Everything we do – from reducing fees and improving support to investing for the long term – is focused on helping you build a brighter financial future.