Canning of FASEA to bring new prominence to ASIC

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) said the announcement that the government will wind up the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority (FASEA) means that ASIC will be equipped with steering a path to the future of the financial advice industry.

CA ANZ financial advice leader Bronny Speed said that after three years of advocacy to reduce the regulatory burden financial advisers face, the accounting body supports the government’s decision to consolidate FASEA and ASIC functions.

“This is in line with our request to Senator Jane Hume in October that there is a need for a reduction in multiple licences, registrations, regulators and levies for financial advice to be more affordable to everyday Australians,” Ms Speed said.

“This reform is hopefully the start to a reduction in regulation so that more individuals and small businesses can be helped on the road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ms Speed said it will be more important than ever for members to highlight their pain points to ASIC as it starts to shape the future for financial advisers.

She noted that ASIC recently released Consultation Paper 332 which is focused on promoting access to affordable advice for consumers and further understanding the current issues and impediments around delivering affordable, quality personal financial advice, particularly in relation to limited advice.

“ASIC’s consultation signals a critical milestone as, unlike most consultations, ASIC is seeking input directly from members,” Ms Speed said.

“Following our numerous government submissions, meetings with ministers and advocacy to regulators, this is an opportunity for members to drive further change so that more Australians can afford personal financial advice.”

The SMSF Association also supports the decision which will result in the Treasury overseeing the education, training and ethical standards for the provision of financial advice, while ASIC will be responsible for disciplinary action and administering the exams for entry to the profession.

SMSF Association chief executive John Maroney said it was a welcome initiative with ASIC having the expertise to adjudicate on professional misconduct and the Treasury having the appropriate standard-setting skills.

“The association has long held the position that financial advice industry regulation needs to be streamlined to reduce unnecessary complexity, and this reform meets this objective,” Mr Maroney said.

“The current regime sees advisers having duplicate obligations, multiple regulators and multiple standards that result in unnecessary complexity and cost. This is forcing many professional financial advisers to question whether they should continue to provide advisory services at a time when consumer need for financial advice has never been greater.”

While Mr Maroney acknowledged the work done by FASEA in improving the education, training and ethical standards in the financial advice sector, he said that streamlining the number of bodies involved in oversight of financial advisers is absolutely necessary to reduce complexity and cost for advisers.

“We see this initiative as further strengthening the oversight of financial advisers while at the same time simplifying the regulatory framework governing the provision of financial advice,” Mr Maroney said.

Both CA ANZ and the SMSF Association said they will continue to work with government and other stakeholders on how an improved consumer financial advice framework will be developed in addition to the single disciplinary body within ASIC.