• Personal
  • Employers
  • Advisers
  • Calculators & forms
  • News Hub
  • Contact us
QSuper QSuper
  • Products
    • Why QSuper
    • Can I join QSuper
    • Investment options
    • Fees
    • Financial advice
    • Compare us
    • Insurance
    • Account types
      • Accumulation account
      • Transition to Retirement Income account
      • Retirement Income account
      • Lifetime Pension
      Why QSuper?

      A focus on long-term performance

      More reasons to feel good
  • Super
    • Grow your super
      • Salary sacrifice
      • Super co-contribution
      • Voluntary contributions
      • Spouse contributions
      • Contribution caps
      • Tax deductions
    • Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs)
    • Consolidate your super
    • Find your lost super
    • Changing jobs
    • Nominate beneficiaries
    • Early access
      • Claim a death benefit
    • Seminars and education
  • Retirement
    • Why retire with QSuper
    • Retirement accounts
      • Transition to Retirement Income account
      • Retirement Income account
      • Lifetime Pension
    • Retirement planning
      • Make your super last in retirement
      • The Age Pension and Super
    • How much super do you need to retire
    • Access your super
      • When can you access your super
      • Proof of identity
      • Withdraw your super
    • Seminars and education
      Award-winning

      Our Lifetime Pension won Canstar's Innovation Excellence Award 2023

      Find out more
  • Investments
    • Investment options
      • Lifetime
      • Diversified and asset class
    • Performance
      • Overview
      • Graphs
      • Unit prices
    • Online investment advice
    • Change your investment options
    • How QSuper invests
    • Investing your super
  • Insurance
    • Insurance options
      • Income protection
      • Total & permanent disability cover
      • Death cover
    • How much insurance cover do you need
    • Change or cancel your insurance
    • Make an insurance claim
      • Death benefit claims
  • Advice
  • Calculators & forms
  • News Hub
  • Contact us
Join
  • Call
Join Log In - Open navigation
Member Online

Forgot username?
Forgot password?
Register

Navigation

QSuper
  • Personal
  • Employers
  • Advisers
  • Search
  • Join Log In
  • Products Expand
    • Why QSuper
    • Can I join QSuper
    • Investment options
    • Insurance
    • Fees
    • Financial advice
    • Account types Expand
      • Accumulation account
      • Transition to Retirement Income account
      • Retirement Income account
      • Lifetime Pension
    • Compare us
  • Super Expand
    • Consolidate your super
    • Grow your super Expand
      • Salary sacrifice
      • Super co-contribution
      • Voluntary contributions
      • Spouse contributions
      • Contribution caps
      • Tax deductions
    • Find your lost super
    • Changing jobs
    • Nominate beneficiaries
    • Early access Expand
      • Claim a death benefit
    • Seminars and education
    • Self-Managed Super Funds (SMSFs)
  • Retirement Expand
    • Why retire with QSuper
    • Retirement accounts Expand
      • Transition to Retirement Income account
      • Retirement Income account
      • Lifetime Pension
    • How much super do you need to retire
    • Retirement planning Expand
      • Make your super last in retirement
      • The Age Pension and Super
    • Access your super Expand
      • When can you access your super
      • Proof of identity
      • Withdraw your super
    • Seminars and education
  • Investments Expand
    • Performance Expand
      • Overview
      • Graphs
      • Unit prices
    • Investment options Expand
      • Lifetime
      • Diversified and asset class
    • Online investment advice
    • Change your investment options
    • How QSuper invests
    • Investing your super
  • Insurance Expand
    • Insurance options Expand
      • Income protection
      • Total & permanent disability cover
      • Death cover
    • How much insurance cover do you need
    • Change or cancel your insurance
    • Make an insurance claim Expand
      • Death benefit claims
  • Advice
  • Your account Expand
    • Super Expand
      • Transactions
      • Statements and History
      • Consolidate
      • Add to Super in Retriement
      • Investments
      • Performance
      • Financial Advice
      • Insurance
    • Profile Expand
      • Personal details
      • Security
      • Authorities
      • Employer
      • Beneficiaries
    • More Expand
      • Contact us
  • Calculators & forms Expand
    • Superannuation & Retirement Calculators Expand
      • Super and retirement planning calculators
      • Retirement planning
      • Insurance
      • Maximise your super
      • Savings
      • Investing
    • Forms Expand
      • All
      • Forms for claims, withdrawals, and transfers out
      • Forms for deposits, contributions and transfers in
      • Insurance forms
      • Investments
      • Transfer
      • Other forms
    • Publications Expand
      • PDS
      • Guides
      • Annual reports
      • Factsheets
      • Other publications
      • Target Market Determination
  • News Hub Expand
    • Category Expand
      • News
      • Superannuation
      • Retirement
      • Finances
      • Investments
      • Community
      • Wellbeing
      • Employer
  • Contact us Expand
    • Email QSuper
    • Language assistance
    • Browser support
    • Formal enquiries and complaints
    • FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

News Hub

All Articles News Superannuation Retirement Finances Investments Community Wellbeing
News Hub News

Australian Retirement Trust response to Russia-Ukraine crisis

News
08 March 2022 4 min read

Amid rapidly developing events centred on Ukraine, Australian Retirement Trust has sold our holdings in Russia. Here’s why. 

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Australian Government has imposed economic sanctions on Russia.1

Australian Retirement Trust has instructed investment managers to sell any remaining debt and equity investments and not to make any new investments in either Russia or Belarus, which has now entered the conflict alongside Russia.

Australian Retirement Trust Chief Investment Officer Ian Patrick said while the investment managers had been instructed to adhere to all legal requirements imposed by Australian law and other relevant sanctions regimes, we could not rule out having some minimal exposure or that some of the companies we invest in may have some exposure to assets in these countries.

“However, we certainly expect those companies to manage their businesses in accordance with all relevant sanctions and applicable laws,” Mr Patrick said.

What this may mean for your investments

QSuper is part of Australian Retirement Trust following the merger with Sunsuper on 28 February 2022. Australian Retirement Trust investment portfolios are diversified across different asset classes, regions, countries, industries, individual assets and securities. The direct exposure to investments in Russia has been minimal.

However, we do seek to respond to these events. We also seek to capitalise on opportunities that may emerge during times of crisis.

So, as well as seeking to eliminate any remaining share and bond exposures in the affected countries, we have also increased our exposure to world share markets and reduced our exposure to bonds after share prices declined and bond prices rose sharply.

How your Australian Retirement Trust QSuper account is positioned

Your diversified investment options had no exposure to shares or bonds in Russia and very limited exposure to the surrounding region.

For example, the QSuper Balanced option’s shares allocation (for Accumulation and Income accounts) invests around 0.3% of its portfolio in eastern European markets, such as Poland and Hungary and a further 0.4% in the nearby markets of Finland and Norway.

We have instructed our investment managers not to make any new investments in Russia or Belarus.

We also offer members the choice to invest in Self Invest, where you can take full control of where your super is invested.

Self Invest allows you to invest in a range of shares listed on the S&P/ASX 300 index and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which may invest in emerging markets such as Russia.

However, in Self Invest, all investment decisions, including those pertaining to responsible or ethical choices, are up to you.

What should you do?

We aim to keep you as informed as possible, while acknowledging this is a rapidly evolving environment.

For most members, the answer to what should you do with your super now may be to do nothing. While this is a challenging period, it may also provide opportunities for our investment managers to acquire high-quality assets at attractive prices.

Deciding what is best for you will depend on your personal circumstances and you may want to seek personal financial advice to get the most from your superannuation. You can find out more about financial advice options at qsuper.qld.gov.au/advice 

icon

We’re here to help

Please call 1300 360 750 if you want to find out more.




1. Media Release, 28 February 2022, Prime Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Defence, Economic measures against Russia and lethal military equipment for Ukraine, at www.foreignminister.gov.au

Related Content
banner FAQs for members with more than one account
28 Feb 5 MIN READ

Read more
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...
banner FAQs for members with more than one account
28 Feb 5 MIN READ

Read more
Anne Fuchs Meet Anne Fuchs, Australian Retirement Trust Head of Advice
01 Mar 5 MIN READ

Spend 5 minutes with Australian Retirement Trust Head of Advice, Anne Fuchs.

Read more
News Superannuation
Financial Banner2 Helping Australians with financial literacy
07 Apr 5 MIN READ

Helping Australians learn how to manage their money

Read more
Community Finance
BannerImage How to protect yourself against financial abuse
31 Mar 5 MIN READ

May is Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Month and an important time to consider the many forms DFV can take, including financial abuse.

Read more
Finance Health
All Articles News Superannuation Retirement Finances Investments Community Wellbeing
  • Our products
    • Why QSuper?
    • Investment options
    • Fees
    • Insurance
    • Financial advice
  • Super & retirement
    • How much do you need?
    • Grow your super
    • Consolidate
    • Changing jobs
    • Seminars
    • Access your super
  • Investments
    • Performance
    • Unit prices
    • Graphs
  • Calculators & Forms
    • Calculators
    • Forms
    • Publications
    • PDSs
    • TMDs
    • Member Outcomes Assessment
  • Contact us
    • 1300 360 750
      Mon-Fri 8.00am to 6.00pm AEST
  • About us 
  • Careers 
  • Sitemap 
  • Privacy 
  • Security 
  • Disclaimer 
  • Terms and conditions 
  • Disclosure 
  • MySuper product dashboard 
We're part of Australian Retirement Trust
2020 awards
Facebook LinkedIn YouTube

The information on this website contains general information only. It doesn’t consider your personal objectives, financial situation, or needs. Before making any decisions about QSuper, you should read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determinations (TMD) to consider whether the product is right for you.