New mandatory service standards requirements in 2028 are set to reset what good looks like for superannuation service delivery. The shift is not simply about introducing another layer of compliance and reporting. It is about whether funds can demonstrate, with confidence and consistency, that members are receiving the outcomes they should expect across the moments that matter most.
The benchmark will be set by funds that can prove service is transparent, accountable and working across the full member journey.
Regulatory reforms such as FAR and CPS 230 have been important steps in strengthening governance, accountability and operational resilience across financial institutions. FAR has sharpened expectations for clear accountability, while CPS 230 has increased focus on operational resilience, material service providers and third-party oversight.
The 2028 service standards build on these foundations by bringing resilience and accountability directly into the member service experience. The question is no longer whether the right governance is in place. It is whether funds can demonstrate that governance is translating into clearer, faster and more consistent outcomes for members.
This matters because the service supply network is becoming more complex. Funds increasingly rely on administrators, insurers, technology providers, digital platforms and specialist service partners to deliver the end-to-end member experience.
Each partner adds capability, but also introduces dependencies, handoffs, data flows, controls and risks. Service issues rarely sit neatly within one organisation. They often emerge across the network, particularly where ownership, service boundaries or escalation pathways are unclear.
Digital and AI-enabled providers are adding further complexity, while also creating opportunities to improve speed, consistency and member engagement. These capabilities can influence how work is prioritised, how decisions are supported, what information members receive and how issues are identified.
As these capabilities become more embedded in service delivery, they must be incorporated into the same service boundaries, accountability settings and oversight model as every other service partner. The oversight challenge is not only technical. It is about ensuring new capability supports members in a way that is explainable, measurable and aligned to the fund’s obligations.
As the standards shift service from intent to proof, funds will need clearer service boundaries across providers, systems and channels. These boundaries should define where responsibility starts, where it hands off, how performance is measured and how issues are escalated when multiple parties contribute to the same outcome.
This is where transparency becomes critical. It is not enough for funds to know whether an individual provider met an SLA. Funds need to understand whether the service network delivered the intended member outcome, particularly across claims, death benefits, complaints, critical communications and other moments where members may be vulnerable or need timely support.
The risk is that the industry responds to mandatory service standards with reporting artefacts rather than better service. Following FAR and CPS 230, the opportunity is to use the reform to redesign service around what members genuinely need: clarity, timeliness, empathy, consistency and accountability.
When member interests sit at the core, service standards become more than compliance measures. They become a practical way to reduce friction, make accountability visible and strengthen confidence across the entire service supply network.
Funds should start preparing by assessing critical member journeys, defining service boundaries across providers and digital channels, designing every service standard around members’ best interests.
The industry has built strong foundations through operational resilience, accountability and service provider oversight. The focus is now shifting from governance to outcomes.
As funds prepare for the Mandatory Service Standards, the challenge is no longer demonstrating that controls are in place, but proving that members are consistently receiving the outcomes they should expect.
IQ Group helps funds build a clearer view of their service ecosystems and the outcomes they deliver, helping establish the transparency, accountability and evidence needed to demonstrate performance with confidence.
Ultimately, the 2028 service standards represent more than a compliance requirement. They signal a broader shift towards greater transparency, accountability and evidence-based service delivery, with member outcomes at the centre. Regardless of whether a fund’s operating model is insourced, outsourced or hybrid, the outcomes delivered to members should be the same. The focus is not on who provides the service, but on how consistently, transparently and effectively member outcomes are achieved and demonstrated.
IQ Group | October 2026
