During a speech at the Financial Services Council annual conference on the Gold Coast, Mr Frydenberg said he is “very conscious of the challenges” the Life Insurance Framework presents advisers.
Mr Frydenberg acknowledged these challenges have been made clear during the “many discussions” he has had with advisers since being appointed assistant treasurer.
He told the insurers attending the conference that if there is a message he can provide them, it is that advisers are “looking to you to help them transition and navigate these significant reforms”.
“Making sure all parts of the industry thrive as a result of these reforms should be seen as a shared goal given the level of underinsurance in Australia,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“Australians need the industry to come together to improve the quality of advice and to ensure it remains accessible to those that need it most.”
Mr Frydenberg also acknowledged that with all the compromises made during debates around the reforms, “neither side got everything they wanted”.
“But by coming to the table, each side was able to obtain a better outcome for their members than they would have in isolation,” he said.
“Of course, implementing the proposals will require ongoing cooperation.
“Industry, along with the government, continues to flesh out the detail of this package,” he said, “and while there is considerable detail to be finalised, the government will not lose sight of the end objective: better outcomes for consumers.”
Dear Josh
Lovely hollow words.
To Little To late!!
So Josh Frydenberg gives an industry “weeks not months” to establish a change of such impact that it will remove the access to affordable insurance advice for many consumers and then turns around and states “Australians need to the industry to come together to improve the quality of advice and to ensure it remains accessible to those that need it most”.
This after the majority of insurers submitted proposals to have commissions cut to the level of the Trowbridge recommendations or to nil and irreparably damaged the relationships with IFA’s in the process.
Is he really saying that advisers would ask the insurers for assistance to navigate their way when some of those insurers submitted proposals and wanted to get a result that would have been significantly worse than the current proposal!
If Frydenberg understands the challenges through many discussions with advisers then he needs to show some leadership and have the courage and conviction to do something about it.
Well done and thanks for the platitudes Josh.
Perhaps there is a seat at the Labor Party table for you when you are done screwing us over.