HESTA today announces its members' retirement savings have surpassed $100 billion for the first time, bringing scale benefits that continue to support the delivery of strong, sustainable returns.
The landmark comes on the back of returns for members in the top quartile over the past decade for all ready-made super investment options,[1] including default MySuper product Balanced Growth, which has returned 8.16% per annum on average over the past 10 years (to 30 September 2025).#
HESTA CEO Debby Blakey said reaching $100 billion in funds under management was an incredible milestone and could provide opportunities for members to further boost their retirement savings.
"Far more than a milestone, we believe this growth enables us to deliver greater value for our more than 1 million members," Ms Blakey said.
"This is money that represents greater security, more choice, and a more dignified retirement. It also provides even more opportunities to deliver super with impactTM.
"It helps us access a larger and more diverse range of high-quality investments, and provides economies of scale that can help keep costs down over time, supporting long-term returns that help members to retire their way."
Since HESTA began using an in-house measurement model in late 2016 on 'retirement readiness', more than 250,000 extra members have shifted from a projected 'modest' to a more 'comfortable' retirement lifestyle.
Highlighting the value of its scale, HESTA recently announced lower investment fees across most of its ready-made super investment options in the last financial year and a lower minimum balance for accessing Income Stream products. The Fund last month also announced a new insurance agreement that will next year deliver reduced fees to insured members on their current levels of cover.
Ms Blakey said that while the $100 billion landmark represented an opportunity to reflect on the Fund's achievements – including scaling HESTA's investment strategy to manage approximately 18% of the portfolio internally[2], founding 40:40 Vision, and successful advocacy to see super paid on Commonwealth Paid Parental Leave – the Fund was focused on what comes next.
"Our next journey of growth has already begun with the launch of our new three-year strategy, which aims to provide more personalised experiences and opportunities that deliver greater value to members over the long-term. It also includes work to continue to refine our investment model at a time when we now have almost 20% of our portfolio managed internally," Ms Blakey said.
Established in 1987, HESTA was created before the introduction of the national Super Guarantee to extend the benefits of superannuation to more women, with an initial focus on predominantly female workforces in health and community services. Over more than 35 years, HESTA has developed deep relationships across these sectors, and currently around 80% of its members are women.
"It's an incredible privilege to serve those working in health and community services and to invest in and for people who deliver key services for all Australians," Ms Blakey said.
"Our members are mainly women working part-time or casually in often lower-paid sectors such as aged care or early childhood education. Many miss out on the full benefits of super because they take unpaid time out of the workforce to care for others.
"Core to our purpose is our super with impactTM approach, and the growth we're seeing across the Fund shows this resonates with more and more Australians."
