Super Funds could build and maintain affordable housing
What do Super funds spend their funds on? Their total assets are over $3.5 trillion.
Do they like to invest in shares?
What if they put some of their their money into building and holding affordable rental housing for thousands of families?
They would have solid real estate that grows in value over time, they would have constant rental income for cash flow, and the value they hold will directly benefit the community and economy.
$10 billion is barely 0.3% of the total funds held by superannuation funds in Australia.
What if the Commonwealth offered super funds a tax benefit if they agreed to make long term investments in developing affordable housing? An amount of $10 billion could go a long way further.
It would also be worth doing comparative research to see what is done with super funds in other countries – in particular in Europe.
Super Statistics
Total superannuation assets were $3.5 trillion at the end of the March 2023 quarter, a quarterly increase of 3.2 per cent. Total superannuation assets have returned to levels last recorded at the end of December 2021 ($3.5 trillion) and have recovered from their decline over the June and September quarters of 2022. Total MySuper assets increased by 5.1 per cent over the March quarter 2023 to $964.5 billion.