Treasury Laws Amendment (Protecting Your Superannuation Package) Act 2019 (16 of 2019)

Schedule 2   Insurance for superannuation members

Part 2   Application and transitional provisions

3   Application of section 68AAA

(1) Section 68AAA of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993, as inserted by item 1 of this Schedule, applies on and after 1 July 2019 (the commencement day ).

(2) However, a period during which a member's account is inactive in relation to a choice product or MySuper product offered by a regulated superannuation fund is to be taken into account for the purposes of section 68AAA even if the period begins before the commencement day.

(3) Each trustee of a regulated superannuation fund that offers a choice product or MySuper product under which a benefit may be provided by taking out or maintaining insurance must ensure that:

(a) on 1 April 2019, each member of the fund who has an account in relation to one or more of those products that has been inactive for a continuous period of 6 months before that day is identified; and

(b) on or before 1 May 2019, each of the members of the fund identified under paragraph (a) is given notice in writingin accordance with subitem (4).

(4) The notice must:

(a) state that, on and after 1 July 2019, a benefit will not be provided to the member under the product by taking out or maintaining insurance if:

(i) for a continuous period of 16 months, the member's account is inactive in relation to that product (as defined for the purposes of section 68AAA of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993); and

(ii) the member has not elected that the benefit will be provided to, or in respect of, the member under the product by taking out or maintaining insurance, even if the member's account is inactive in relation to that product for a continuous period of 16 months; and

(b) set out the method by which the member can make such an election in writing.

(5) An election made under paragraph (4)(b) before the commencement day has effect on and after the commencement day as if it were an election made under subsection 68AAA(2) of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993.

(6) Despite subitem (3), a trustee of a regulated superannuation fund that offers a choice product or MySuper product does not have to ensure that a notice is given to a member of the fund to whom it would otherwise be required to be given under that subitem if:

(a) after 8 May 2018 but before 1 April 2019, the member has given the fund notice in writing that the member elects to have one or more benefits provided under the product or the products held by the member by taking out or maintaining insurance; and

(b) the only benefits provided to the member under the product or products held by the member by taking out or maintaining insurance are covered by the election.

The notice mentioned in paragraph (a) has effect on and after the commencement day as if it were an election made under subsection 68AAA(2) of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993.