Aware Super - Wollongong

Aware Super is an Australian profit-for-members superannuation fund with over 1.2 million members and has been operating for over 30 years. It looks after over $240 billion in retirement savings. The fund offers superannuation accounts, including a Future Saver account and retirement accounts, as well as a range of insurance options through its super accounts. MySuper Lifecycle tailors investment mix based on age. Members in the Future Saver High Growth option earned a return of 9.63% p.a. over 10 years.

Advice and guidance are provided online, over the phone or in person, and members can access mental health, nutrition, fitness and grief support services at no extra cost. Aware Super won Chant West's Pension Fund of the Year for 2024, 2025 and 2026, and SuperRatings' Fund of the Year for 2025 and 2026. It also won four Chant West awards in 2026, including Super Fund of the Year, and was named Chant West's Best Fund: Member Services for 2025 and 2026. It received Canstar's Outstanding Value Superannuation award in 2026, 2025, 2024, 2023 and 2022, a 2026 AAA Rainmaker quality rating, and was named ESG Leader 2025 and RIAA 2026 Responsible Investment Leader.

Superannuation and financial consulting services at this Wollongong provider draw consistently critical feedback from members, with the recurring theme being poor customer service and inadequate support. Reviewers repeatedly describe lengthy waits on the telephone, including one instance where a caller was left holding for an extended period before the line disconnected, and another who characterises the response received as unhelpful. Investment performance also comes in for repeated criticism, with members questioning whether returns matched what had been presented to them.

Something that features in review after review is the level of fees charged relative to the outcomes delivered, and one long-term member notes that arranging an annual review required repeated requests rather than being offered proactively, despite the costs involved. Communication problems appear throughout the accounts, covering both telephone contact and the handling of member enquiries. The tone of the feedback is one of frustration with the gap between what members expected from their superannuation and allocated pension arrangements and what they experienced in practice, spanning both the returns on their investments and the responsiveness of the service they received.