Superannuation affects almost everybody in Australia. As a tax practitioner, being able to confidently advise your clients on this crucial topic gives them greater control and confidence to make the financial choices that are right for their needs. Now in its ninth year, The Tax Institute’s National Superannuation Conference continues to be Australia’s leading conference in this space.

Phil Broderick, CTA, of Sladen Legal, is a long time attendee of the conference and this year, is Chair of the Conference Organising Committee, and also presenting a session on Day 2 of the event.

We chatted to Phil about why this conference is such an important event in the diary of any tax practitioner specialising in Superannuation. You could say he’s biased. You’re probably right. But not without good reason.

A not-to-be-missed program

“In uncertain times, with huge challenges facing both New South Wales and Victoria, we're still battling on and I’m really looking forward to this year’s conference. Myself and the committee have designed the program so that those who can't get to Melbourne, can watch the live stream and still access all the sessions. It worked really well last year and I'm sure it'll work really well again this year,” Phil said.

“The organising committee has worked really hard this year, as it always does, to make sure we've got a great mix of plenaries and breakout sessions addressing both large and small funds. The committee has a dedicated group of large fund professionals and small fund professionals, to make sure that both streams are relevant and meet your professional needs.”

When it comes to the line-up of speakers joining us to share their insight, Phil said, “We’ve got some incredible presenters.” Some of the names on our program include:

• Craig James, CommSec, who Phil said, “always gives a great economic update”, is back again to kick us off with Session 1: Economic update on Day 1. With all the economic disruption - including the first recession in three decades - we’ve experienced lately, this session is a vital reflection on the past year and the future of our ‘new normal’.
• Senator the Hon. Jane Hume, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy giving a VIP Keynote address. Phil shared that Senator Hume had great feedback last time she presented – and almost certainly will be a favourite once again.
• Michael Rice, CTA, described by Phil as “a repeat presenter who's always well-regarded and always has something interesting to say”, joins us for Session 12: Are superannuation taxes and Age Pension benefits sustainable? We’ve been tweaking superannuation for several decades and continue to make changes each time a Budget rolls around. Michael will examine findings of the recent Retirement Income Review and what it means for how we can improve our super system.

“I’m really looking forward to all those sessions,” Phil said.

Listen to Phil on why the 2021 National Superannuation Conference in a must-attend below.

Policy with teeth: Phil’s session at the National Superannuation Conference

In Phil’s own session at the event, he’ll be taking a closer look at a topic that continually comes up when dealing with superannuation: the superannuation guarantee.

“This year, I've again, been lucky enough to be nominated as a presenter for the conference. My presentation will be on super guarantee and I’ve titled it: ‘No longer the toothless tiger’,” Phil said.

“Coming from my personal experience as well as, what we're seeing coming out of the ATO and government in recent years, I'll delve into superannuation guarantee, your obligations generally and in particular, the post SG amnesty enforcement of the super guarantee system and the part seven penalties that have been applying.

What we've seen in practice is the significant issues of those penalties and there's been a lot of work in relation to practitioners and the ATO in remission of penalties where appropriate. I'll highlight, both the law and the ATS practice statements, but also, my personal experience with super guarantee audits in recent years.”

You can catch Phil at the 2021 National Superannuation Conference, running 7–8 October 2021 at the Crown Conference Centre in Melbourne and online. Find out more about the event here.

About Phil Broderick

Phil Broderick, CTA, is a principal of Sladen Legal and heads its superannuation team. He is a member of a number of superannuation related committees. This includes being the co-chair of The Tax Institute’s superannuation committee and the chair of SISFA’s technical and policy committee. He is also a member of a number of the ATO’s superannuation liaison groups including the Superannuation Industry Relationship Network (SIRN) and the Superannuation Industry Stewardship Group (SISG).

Phil is also heavily involved in liaising with Treasury and ATO in relation to the implementation of new super laws and administrative practices. Phil’s areas of practice include superannuation, duties and state taxes, estate planning and succession, trusts, federal tax and business structuring.

Phil was listed in the 2020 and 2021 Best Lawyers Australia for superannuation law and was the winner of the SMSF Association’s SMSF Specialist Advisor (SSA) Top Achiever Award in 2019. His articles have featured in The Tax Institute’s Taxation in Australia Journal and CCH’s Super News. He has presented at seminars and conferences conducted by The Tax Institute, the SMSF Association, the Television Education Network, Legalwise and various accounting bodies.