QSuper: a fund where every member matters
17 September 2021
6
min read
QSuper is committed to connecting with and supporting all members, no matter where they live, or what their circumstances are. At the forefront of this effort is the work done by Head of Technical Advice, Lyn Melcer, and her team.
At QSuper, being inclusive is more than just a label. It is a commitment to working hard to ensure all members’ needs are taken care of.
Being inclusive at QSuper is about taking the time to find out where and how our 620,000 members live, what challenges they face, how they interact with their communities and how we can connect with and help them.
Inclusion champion
At a Women in Super online event in July 2021, QSuper’s Head of Technical Advice, Lyn Melcer, said equality and justice was at the heart of being inclusive and accessible for all.
Ms Melcer is passionate about championing equality for members by ensuring everyone is on a level playing field and has the same access to information and services around their superannuation.
Listening is key to QSuper’s commitment to connecting to all members, Ms Melcer said.
"I don’t speak at members, I listen to them about what they need, and then we work towards solving the problems that they need solved," she said.
We also place a lot of importance on following through with our commitments and always remember that we’re dealing with other people's money, and we're trying to reconnect them with their own money. So, trust and respect are also so important.
"When members find themselves in vulnerable situations, whether they be temporary situations, or because of their location, age, or cultural background, we have initiatives to help resolve their issues."
Reconciliation in action
QSuper’s commitment to increasing the financial wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples led to our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in 2018. The RAP focussed on improving financial literacy, promoting cultural awareness, and increasing access to superannuation services and its potential benefits.
"We would really like our next RAP to elevate our thinking and consider strategic issues like culturally sensitive investments," Ms Melcer said.
To make superannuation more accessible for people in remote Indigenous communities, we have worked with Indigenous advocacy groups and people in the wider superannuation industry to support alternative forms of identification, that still comply with our legislative obligations, which helps people who don’t have typical IDs, such as a driver’s licence or passport, to keep connected to their superannuation more easily.
To help support a superannuation system that benefits all Australians, we have worked with Financial Counselling Australia on an education program helping financial counsellors and capability workers who work with regional and remote Indigenous and migrant communities, including refugees and asylum seekers.
Connecting with all of our members
As a commitment to connecting with and helping all of our members, regardless of their cultural backgrounds, we run regular cultural awareness training and recently unveiled a new web page that assists members to use Google Translate and Baidu to read our website in languages other than English.
Partnering with other organisations and agencies to help reach members in the community and provide them with the support they need is another way we strive to be inclusive and equitable, Ms Melcer said.
Some partnerships QSuper is involved with include supporting DVConnect, Queensland’s leading domestic and family violence service.
As part of QSuper’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, we've also commissioned some amazing Indigenous artwork for our offices across the state. We are proud to be working with local artists who live and work in those communities, to create something special for each space. We also engage Indigenous businesses for some stationery items and catering purposes.
The Premier's Reading Challenge is another important initiative we support and we provide books to schools who win our Top 5 Book Challenge and work closely with the Royal Flying Doctor Service to support their flight nurses in their bid to provide vital health care to regional and remote Queensland locations.
The opinions expressed and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the QSuper Board. No responsibility is taken for the accuracy of any of the information supplied and you should seek advice for your circumstances.