First Nations Foundation recovers over $4m in super for Qld communities

First Nations Foundation has recovered some $4.15 million in lost and unclaimed super for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote and regional Queensland via its Financial Wellness Outreach program.

Led by First Nations Foundation project manager Eddie Buli, the program reconnected $4,148,693 in super across 12 communities during five outreach runs between July and November 2025.

It provided face-to-face assistance in locations where digital access, service fragmentation and identity verification issues often stand between people and their retirement savings, the foundation explained.

First Nations Foundation chief executive Leah Bennett said the result indicates accessibility of super needs to be prioritised.

She said both the scale of unclaimed retirement savings and systemic barriers prevent many First Nations people from accessing their own money.

"Australia's retirement system is world class on paper. But for many First Nations people, particularly in regional and remote communities, there is still friction at the final step," Bennett said.

"This result shows what happens when the system meets people where they are, on Country and in community, with culturally informed support and the right institutions at the table."

Bennett said the effort the organisation has put into the program should prompt reflection across the broader financial services sector.

"A modest investment in logistics and partnership can translate into life changing financial outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," she said.

The Financial Wellness Outreach program convenes the super sector, banks, utilities providers, ombudsmen and government agencies, to deliver coordinated support.

By bringing the system into community, the program helps individuals locate lost or unknown super balances, resolve identity verification barriers and navigate myGov and ATO platforms in regions routinely under serviced by mainstream channels, it said.

Since 2016, First Nations Foundation has recovered more than $30 million in super for First Nations individuals.