What Australian pensions can teach the UK about scale

The UK can pride itself on having the third largest pension system in the world, but the relative inefficiency of the UK defined contribution sector needs to be addressed, claims David Rowley who as a British journalist based in Sydney has spent the last three years reporting on Australian superannuation.

clock • 7 min read

The UK can pride itself on having the third-largest pension system in the world, but the relative inefficiency of the UK defined contribution sector needs to be addressed, claims David Rowley who as a British journalist based in Sydney has spent the last three years reporting on Australian superannuation.

At a glance The UK may have the third-largest pension system in the world but it lacks scale. Fewer larger schemes are able to negotiate better deals with providers and asset managers. The ...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Pensions

Become a Professional Pensions Lite Member today

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis and opinion from the industry
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our two daily news alerts
  • Hear from industry experts and other forward-thinking leaders

Are you a trustee, investment consultant or in-house pension and benefit scheme professional? You can apply for full complimentary access here

Join now

 

Already a Professional Pensions
member?

Login

More on Defined Contribution

DC entering 'new phase' with master trusts now 'dominant' in large scheme market

DC entering 'new phase' with master trusts now 'dominant' in large scheme market

Howden research reveals master trusts now account for 41% of large DC schemes

Holly Roach
clock 09 July 2026 • 1 min read
UK Pension Schemes Act - Turning reform into better retirement outcomes

UK Pension Schemes Act - Turning reform into better retirement outcomes

Steve Charlton says reforms should be judged by whether they actually improve outcomes

Steve Charlton
clock 06 July 2026 • 3 min read
Private markets putting increased focus on DC asset allocation

Private markets putting increased focus on DC asset allocation

Hymans says VfM framework could be one of the most ‘significant’ DC market developments in recent years

Martin Richmond
clock 06 July 2026 • 4 min read
Trustpilot