About Global Pension Index 2011

The Australian Centre for Financial Studies (ACFS) is delighted to be a partner in the research which has resulted in the 2011 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index (the Index).

ACFS is a not-for-profit consortium of Monash University, RMIT University, the University of Melbourne and Finsia (Financial Services Institute of Australasia) which was established in 2005 with seed funding from the Victorian Government.

ACFS specialises in leading edge finance and investment research, aiming to boost the global credentials of Australia’s finance industry, bridge the gap between research and industry, and support Australia as an international centre for finance practice, research and education. ACFS facilitates industry-relevant and rigorous research and consulting, thought leadership and independent commentary. Drawing on expertise from academia, industry and government, the Centre promotes excellence in financial services.

This is the third edition of the Index and the responses to the 2009 and 2010 editions have indicated its value to government, industry and academia in contributing to the debate on how we best provide for an ageing population. In particular, the nature of the Index provides some insight to the challenge of balancing the adequacy of benefits with the sustainability of pension systems, a matter of increasing concern to governments throughout the world.

As part of its role in the project, ACFS has convened an expert reference group to assist in the development of the Index and ensure that it represents an independent and unbiased view. Many thanks to the members of the reference group:

• Syd Bone, Chair, Deputy Chair of ACFS and CEO of CP2;
• Prof. Keith Ambachtsheer, Director, Rotman International Centre for Pension Management;
• Assoc. Prof. Hazel Bateman, School of Actuarial Studies, and Director Centre for Pensions and Superannuation, University of New South Wales;
• Prof. Gordon Clark, Oxford University, and Sir Louis Matheson Visiting Professor, Faculty of Business and Economics, Monash University;
• Prof. Kevin Davis, University of Melbourne and Research Director ACFS;
• Jeremy Duffield, Chair of ACFS;
• Dr Vince FitzGerald, Chairman, Allen Consulting;
• Ian Silk, Chief Executive, AustralianSuper; and
• Prof. Susan Thorp, Faculty of Business, University of Technology, Sydney.

Our thanks to Dr David Knox and his team at Mercer, especially those in-country experts who have assisted with the collection and interpretation of data. Thanks also to the Victorian Department of Business and Industry for supporting this study.

Professor Deborah Ralston
Director, Australian Centre for Financial Studies